My first Cob...

[artyfacts]

Hello all, I dug this cob at a site I am presently working. It weighs 11.9 grams and 1 1/4 inches at its widest point. Under close scrutiny and reviewing pictures of type and where to find date, in this case dates, it looks to be 1695 pillar and waves. Should this cob be cleaned and how, or left as is?

[Mackaydon]

Based on weight, it's most likely a 4 R.
Yes, it's pillars and waves.
Don...

[waterfalljay]

Congrats on your first cob!
Still hunting for mine!

[goldcoastwayne]

Congratulations on your 1st cob! I agree with Don's summation of your coin. Within TreasureNet there is a section on Research/Techniques and within that a section on cleaning & preservation. I would look over past postings before making a decision. In the meantime I will look at your jpg's magnified and see what additional information may come up.

Congrats again,

Wayne

[divewrecks]

I see the "P" Potosi mint mark. How about trying for some better pics? Different lighting angles may help. I wouldn't try to clean it any (at least not yet).

Stan

[Mackaydon]

Artyfacts and Stan;
Your eyesights are much better than mine. Assuming it is a 1695 4R from Potosi, then somewhere buried in that coin will be the assayer's mark, a conjoined 'VR', for Pedro de Villar (1684-1697).
Don..

[artyfacts]

Some close ups. TTT stands for tic tac toe under pics to let you know which closeup goes where.

[artyfacts]

Close ups

[artyfacts]

Cross side.

[bootybay]

SUPER NICE FIND.. big time Congrats to ya..

[divewrecks]

Well, I guessed I asked for that one. Now I'm going to have to scale them down in Photoshop to figure out what I'm looking at!

Stan

[artyfacts]

Ha, You did. If you need a particular area photographed better let me know. Thanks, Arty

[goldcoastwayne]

Arty,
You certainly came to the right place to identify your cob...if this group can't identify your find...nobody out there can...just sit back, enjoy and watch...lol

Wayne

[divewrecks]

Looks like emeralds embedded in a rock wall....

Have to play with your picture lighting a bit. Check out the link in this thread for some good photography tips.

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.p...,316185.0.html

From what I can make out in the pics thus far, aboout all I can tell you is that it is post-1652 Potosi.

Stan

[artyfacts]

This is the best I can do with my camera. Hope this helps. Arty

[Mackaydon]

Much better pics; thanks.
The "P" and the "9" (maybe '91'?) are more evident.
Great find; especially for your first..
Don.......

[goldcoastwayne]

Arty,
I think the pictures are much better. The side with the cross certainly has more detail. I concentrated on what I could see and I believe the following:
I definitely see a "P" to the left of the cross. Comparing that to my limited resources, tells me Stan and Don are quite right...it is from the Potosi mint. Look at coins that are very similar on p.86, The Practical Book of Cobs, 2nd ed. by Frank Sedwick.
I also definitely see a number or numbers below the cross..I just can't make them out, but the markings are certainly there. I hope others will look at that side of coin, and give you their opinions. It is certainly quite a find......

Wayne

[artyfacts]

Thanks Wayne, I will sit tight and see what others find and what advice is given.

[goldcoastwayne]

Arty,
As far as preservation....be very careful....I have ruined several nice cobs in the past doing "quick and dirty" methods of trying to improve things. That is a real shame when you think of the hours you put in to find a cob. If anything, I might wipe it with glycerin or a very thin oil...it might help protect those corrosive issues on the obverse. You certainly don't want to destroy the patina. You've got a great coin that you can be proud of finding.

Wayne

[divewrecks]

Just for info, if we couldn't see the "P" on the cross side we would still know with some degree of certainly that it was Potosi and not Peru (the two main possibilities). Noticed how the wave curves upward just between the pillars. On a Lima coin they turn downward.

Arty, just so you will know, the 4 reale denomination is usually the rarest in any given year. Very nice find. Strong cross. I personally would leave it just like it is rather than trying to clean it (unless you want to make jewelry out of it).

Stan