Escudos for… all? (Update)

ffcoins

So I’m feeling my first tugging toward the dark side, and I’ve found myself more and more frequently scrolling through photos of gold escudos. I’m looking for a little input here for my first dark side post…

What is a good online resource for information about these coins (anything like coinfacts)? Price wise, what are the most accessible year/denomination/mint/grade for escudos, the sort of beginner’s sweet spot? I’ve found myself drawn toward Ferdinand VI era coins, aesthetically, but don’t really know how tough these ones are.

Abuelo

For Colonial issues, look at https://www.aureo.com/en/catalogo as it includes a lot of issues. There is also, for Mexican issues, a book, very good (yet in serious need to update), Mexican Gold Coins of the Republic (o by Richard Long https://worldnumismatics.com/product/gold-coins-of-the-early-mexican-republic-1823-1873-by-richard-a-long/

Abuelo

These are good to start. Calico also published The Onza Main Book. Out of print and not up to date.

Abuelo

And welcome to the Dark side...

ffcoins

Thanks, and thanks! Is the bulk of the reference on these printed matter then?

Abuelo

I think so yes.

MrEureka

The NGC pop report online is also useful, although it's only the tip of the iceberg of what actually exists.

WCC

@Abuelo said:
For Colonial issues, look at https://www.aureo.com/en/catalogo as it includes a lot of issues. There is also, for Mexican issues, a book, very good (yet in serious need to update), Mexican Gold Coins of the Republic (o by Richard Long https://worldnumismatics.com/product/gold-coins-of-the-early-mexican-republic-1823-1873-by-richard-a-long/

I'd also look at Heritage and Sedwick. For the silver coins I buy, these are three firms I follow- most closely though recently Stacks has also had several I have bought.

WCC

My favorite Spanish gold are the ones prior to Phillip V starting in 1732, as there is no portrait on the obverse However, only the mainland coinage is milled (colonials except royals are not) and the 2E is too expensive for my budget. There have been a few high quality 1E coins I could have bought (stretching) but it isn't a priority for me.

Another option are Colombia cobs. Can't remember the dates but there must have been a hoard discovered because Heritage offered many recently, in the vicinity of $2,000 to $3,000 for high AU to low MS if I recall correctly.

ffcoins

@WCC said:
My favorite Spanish gold are the ones prior to Phillip V starting in 1732, as there is no portrait on the obverse However, only the mainland coinage is milled (colonials except royals are not) and the 2E is too expensive for my budget. There have been a few high quality 1E coins I could have bought (stretching) but it isn't a priority for me.

Another option are Colombia cobs. Can't remember the dates but there must have been a hoard discovered because Heritage offered many recently, in the vicinity of $2,000 to $3,000 for high AU to low MS if I recall correctly.

Great! I’ll check these out. I’m not a big fan of the portraits, so pre-Phillip V might be a good era for me.

Are the colonials hammered?

WCC

@ffcoins said:

@WCC said:
My favorite Spanish gold are the ones prior to Phillip V starting in 1732, as there is no portrait on the obverse However, only the mainland coinage is milled (colonials except royals are not) and the 2E is too expensive for my budget. There have been a few high quality 1E coins I could have bought (stretching) but it isn't a priority for me.

Another option are Colombia cobs. Can't remember the dates but there must have been a hoard discovered because Heritage offered many recently, in the vicinity of $2,000 to $3,000 for high AU to low MS if I recall correctly.

Great! I’ll check these out. I’m not a big fan of the portraits, so pre-Phillip V might be a good era for me.

Are the colonials hammered?

If you aren't familiar with cobs, hammered but not like European continental coinage. The coins aren't round, though some silver I have seen are close. Only royals were struck from pre-fabricated blanks, except for the coinage from mainland Spain which isn't colonial but with the same design.

ffcoins

So… thanks again to all who chipped in with info. I decided to test the waters with a small purchase for my first darkside piece. I can’t wait to get it in hand:

Comments welcome. And in the spirit of the smaller coins, let’s see some pictures of your 1/2, 1, and 2 escudos!

Abuelo

@ffcoins bravo! I like small denomination escudos a lot.

Abuelo

@ffcoins he are a few of the low denomination so you can enjoy!

ffcoins

@Abuelo Very nice! I especially like the Carlos III, Mexico, and Central American pieces!

Boosibri

Welcome to the club

coinkat

This has been an underappreciated area of numismatics for decades... Better to appreciate it now than not at all. Have fun with this. There are centuries, history and design to appreciate... Something for everyone willing to explore.

syl

I have a 1795 Escudo (FM, but there's also an Mo) that I'm about to give to ajaan, cause I think that it may be contemporary counterfeit and he'll have more fun with it than I will. It's lighter in weight than what Krause shows and is a somewhat silverly but mostly gold color. Don may contact you about it to have a look-see. It really looks nice by eyeball but, under a microscope, it may be just a nice casting. It looks like maybe they used a less pure Au content with more silver. I'll let Don do the investigation.

ffcoins

@Boosibri @coinkat Thanks!