Coin ID ideas ?

[OldGold74]

A friend asked me to help ID this, it was supposedly found in the West Indies years ago, his friend now wants to further some research and needs a start point. Any assistance would be appreciated.

[ivan salis]

pillars and waves type of cob coin - spanish silver - 1651 to 1773 era --(122 year range) the flip side should be the fully "dated" side but the 2 numbers in the middle above the wave that you see is the last two digits in the "date"-- now if it was say 62 -- the date would of course be either 1662, 1762 - --these coins were made in these 4 mints --bogota, potosi, cartagena, lima --- the "treasure" fleet mints * that made coins for the treasure fleet to carry home .

[Mackaydon]

Spanish cob coin; Potosi, Peru perhaps. What is it's weight in grams or please show next to a modern coin.
How about a pic of the reverse.

[OldGold74]

Here is the other side? Thanks so far.

[Mackaydon]

That date appears as 1662; my poor eyesight notwithstanding. The date on the 'pillars' side could also be interpreted as 1662

[ivan salis]

1662 date of manufactor * upon seeing 662 -- if its treasure fleet shipwreck lost coin from a fleet sailing in 1662 to 1663 / 4 time frame most likely --

[Mackaydon]

If the coin is 'assayer H', then I'm lost.
It might be an 'H' within a 'C', but that assayer wasn't on 1662 cobs--to my knowledge. BTW, the coin looks real.

[OldGold74]

Any specific fleets lost around this period? West Indies....unlikely ...more towards Panama or Cuba? Given that unless circulated coins they may have been minted from a closer date?

[OldGold74]

Dont know if its true but was "told" It (the coin)Tested 91.7% pure

[Mackaydon]

Depending on the period, 91.7 or 93.1 was the 'correct' fineness--so you're in the ballpark.

[OldGold74]

Thanks any Fleet around this period meet mother nature?

[divewrecks]

Dang, I'm missing all the fun. That is a double struck E on the assayer's initial, not an H. Definitely 1662 Potosi. It's real, I wouldn't fuss about purity measurements. What is the weight (not that it matters much in this case, just curious)? Cool coin.

There were plenty of wrecks with treasure lost that weren't part of a fleet, so speculation is difficult based on date. Ivan, I'm surprised that you haven't attributed it to a certain barcalonga lost off St. Augustine.

Stan

[ivan salis]

nope Stan -- you need to read --" spotswood's" letter ---- that "barcalonga" ( about 40 miles northward of st augustine) thus in nassau sound is a 1715 fleet shipwreck site "salvage vessel" dispatched from havana cuba -- to go to the 1715 fleet wrecksites and pick up VIP'S and "royal" treasure and take it onward * (before the pirates started showing up to loot things )--it wrecked in nassau sound (or was forced to wreck by english silver raiders chasing after it) --- english govenor of virginia "Spotswood" letter of Oct. 24th ,1715 to british home sec. Stanhope spells out in detail where the type of vessel it was (baralonga), where it was from ( cuba) where it went to (the wrecksites) and what it was doing & its cargo (vip's and treasure)---spotswood had his "spy's" and was in league with english "silver" raiders as well --

and no the state still will not issue any frickin permits for that area -- they claim -- its a "aquatic preserve zone" -- but they allow the corp of engineers to do beach renourishment there --what utter BS and a total "double standard" if there ever was one.

[divewrecks]

Ivan, ha-ha, you know I have his letter and know your theory well. You must have cut-n-pasted that from another post.

Now, find me some proof that the Queens Jewels really existed!

Stan

[ivan salis]

its there - they are documented as being on the command ship * of Ubilla

[divewrecks]

Gotta do better, mention of a gift from the Viceroy mentioned on the manifest doesn't prove a Queen's dowry (Marx) or any other order from the old world.

Sorry to get off track. This has nothing to do with cob ID. Let me know if any new documentation turns up Ivan.

Stan

[ivan salis]

will do --now back to topic -- nice piece of eight.