New pickup - 1811 Nueva Vizcaya 8 reales
threefifty
Posts: 102 ✭✭✭
I was elated to get this 1811 Nueva Vizcaya 8 reales from Ebay recently. I've been discussing it with @TwoKopeiki and @realeswatcher...they are quite rare (only 45 certified by NGC! just kidding) and you usually only see a couple come up for auction in any given year.
Pradeau states they were minted from February to March 1811 as the first issue of the provisional mint of Durango. They are the predecessor to Durango's portrait types, which are quite uncommon themselves. The obverse only has "VII" visible from the full legend "FERN.VII.REY DEESP.EIND.8.R.R.M". The only visible portion of the legend on the reverse is VEV, a fragment of "MON.PROV.DE.NVEVA.VIZCAYA". The weight is a solid 26.90 grams. Looks like it circulated a bit so it likely started out heavier than standard.
I like that the reverse has at least part of the coat of arms of Durango visible, two wolves over a tree within palm branches.
Lastly, regarding the edge, Briggs and Bustos mentions four edge types, plain, colonial, fluted, and fleur de lis in their description of a similar piece from an auction a few years ago. This is similar but slightly different than the piece they auctioned, which they referred to as fleur de lis.
My coin edge:
Briggs and Bustos:
@pruebas - what do you think? Uglier than the Zongolica you had??
Thanks for looking!
Comments
What a fantastic and rare coin. Lucky lucky find. I was hoping the seller would go through with his side of the deal and I'm glad to see it worked out! Congrats!
8 Reales Madness Collection
It takes a real numismatist to appreciate the “beauty” in these coins (Zongolica included) and I laud your dedication to these.
But frankly, I have little to no experience in this area and cannot add meaningfully to the discussion.
Cool coin, though! Congratulations!
Wow, I'm amazed it escaped me as I have an alert on eBay for Nueva Viscaya. Rare enough, well done!
Thank you pruebas and TwoKopeiki!
@Abuelo - it was listed as a dateless 8 reales of unknown mint with a $30 starting price
. When I saw it I figured others were sending the seller (lowball) offers to try to get a buy it now, so I did the same with but with an offer that I thought was fair given the rarity and condition.
Impressive.
congrats
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
I think it's lovely as all get-out. Congratulations on the find.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Good for you. The History behind that coin is just screaming out at us. I'm happy for you. Enjoy.