Got some dirty gold world coins you want to show off?
Weiss
Posts: 9,941 ✭✭✭✭✭
There's a great thread on the US coin forum of dirty gold in older holders.
I love the crusty, dirty gold stuff that made it into earlier slabs before bright, super clean coins became the fashion and the norm. Props to those collectors and dealers who recognized early that, like any collectible, a coin is really only original once.
That's the blood of French soldiers all over this piece. At least that's my story 
We are like children who look at print and see a serpent in the last letter but one, and a sword in the last.
--Severian the Lame
--Severian the Lame
8
Comments
How morbidly cool would that be? With a DNA test revealing a modern day blood relative.
8 Reales Madness Collection
@Weiss that is a seriously cool coin.
I think this coin will fit on what you are looking for and being gold from Guanajuato, it is a nice continuation to your coin @Weiss I have shown it in the forum before, but clearly qualified as used, dirty gold... so, in our beloved section “Coins you have never seen before (and likely you will never see again)” I present you this exceedingly rare 4 escudos from the Guanajuato mint dated 1856. This is the coin featured in CoinFacts Wiki. How rare you wonder? Well, according to Richard Long in his book on Mexican Republic gold, it is extremely rare (not even a sale chart is included with the issue!). In fact, this very coin, according to Long, is the only specimen offered for sale during the period 1994-2001 (Ponterio and Associates). Offered by Goldberg in 2014 (“Mexico. 4 Escudos, 1856-Go PF. Hand on book. Listed as Extremely Rare in the Richard Long book. Natural edge flaw. NGC graded VF-20.") and then by Stack’s Bowers (“This is a truly rare 4 Escudos from the Guanajuato mint. The 1856 date is missing from Gerber, Eliasberg, and Norweb collections. Small edge flaw at 3:00 noted”). And yes, you read correctly, this issue is missed in the Norweb, Eliasberg, and Gerber collections (but not Abuelo's). Yes, it has a flan flaw, but when you are talking of these rarities, that is as good as it gets.
Provenance:
Ponterio and Associates 1994, 1997, and 2001
Goldberg 2015
Steinbergs Gold
Stack’s Bowers 2020
From the sale’s catalogue: “KM-381.4. This is a truly rare 4 Escudos from the Guanajuato mint. The 1856 date is missing from Gerber, Eliasberg, and Norweb collections. Small edge flaw at 3:00 noted”.
That is incredibly cool, @Abuelo !
--Severian the Lame
Latin American Collection
This one definitely has some crust left in the devices.
Yes! That is awesome, @scubafuel!
--Severian the Lame
Various amounts of crust and dirt, but not too much.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
This one seems to have that too, not mine yet - have been trying to buy it, but it is in the 3k USD no idea if it is too much
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