Silver Reales Cob

Spain 1681 Charles Carlos II Potosi Mint 1 Reales Shipwreck Silver Cob Coin

Spain 1681 Charles Carlos II Potosi Mint 1 Reales Shipwreck  Silver Cob Coin
Spain 1681 Charles Carlos II Potosi Mint 1 Reales Shipwreck  Silver Cob Coin

Spain 1681 Charles Carlos II Potosi Mint 1 Reales Shipwreck  Silver Cob Coin

A good, genuine, example of a 1681 Charles II Spanish 1 Reales Cob Coin. A nice, crisply stamped, example, this displays the date'81' twice and Two Assayer stamps'V' bottom left and top right. This is the stamp of Pedro de Villar who was an Assayer under Carlos (Charles) II.

2.34g (well within tolerance - see Sedwick 1 Reales cob coins). It is possible that this is from the Consolacion wreck. The coin was struck at Potosi, Bolivia. The person who previously owned it stated that it was from the wreck of the Consolacion, although they had lost the supporting paperwork (see below) so I cannot state with certainty that it was from the wreck.

When salvage first began on this wreck in 1997, it was initially believed to be the Santa Cruz and later called El Salvador y San José, sunk in August of 1680; however, research by Robert Marx after the main find in subsequent years confirmed its proper name and illuminated its fascinating history. Intended to be part of the Spanish South Seas Fleet of 1681, which left Limas port of Callao in April, the Consolación apparently was delayed and ended up traveling alone. At the Gulf of Guayaquil, off modern-day Ecuador, the Consolación encountered English pirates, led by Bartholomew Sharpe, who forced the Spanish galleon to sink on a reef off Santa Clara Island (later nicknamed Isla de Muerto, or Dead Mans Island). Angered by their inability to seize the valuable cargo of the Consolación, Sharpes men killed the Spaniards and tried in vain to recover the treasure through the efforts of local fishermen. Spanish attempts after that were also fruitless, so the treasure of the Consolación sat undisturbed until our time.

Most of the coins offered were of low quality and poorly preserved but came with individually numbered photo-certificates. Later, after the provenance had been properly researched and better conservation methods were used, a Florida syndicate arranged to have ongoing finds from this wreck permanently encapsulated in hard-plastic holders by the authentication and grading firm ANACS, with the wreck provenance clearly stated inside the slab; more recent offerings have bypassed this encapsulation.

Ongoing salvage efforts have good reason to be hopeful, as the manifest of the Consolación stated the value of her registered cargo as 146,000 pesos in silver coins in addition to silver and gold ingots, plus an even higher sum in contraband, according to custom... I have a full-time job so cannot always post straight away. I end my auctions on a Sunday evening to allow me to post on Monday (usually lunchtime). My charges are actually lower than the cost (stamp, padded envelope etc).

The item "Spain 1681 Charles Carlos II Potosi Mint 1 Reales Shipwreck Silver Cob Coin" is in sale since Saturday, April 13, 2019. This item is in the category "Coins\Coins\World\Latin America/Caribbean". The seller is "viminal1000" and is located in Broadstairs. This item can be shipped to all countries in Europe, United States, Japan, Canada, Australia.


Spain 1681 Charles Carlos II Potosi Mint 1 Reales Shipwreck  Silver Cob Coin