1755/1 Santiago Pillar 8 Reales
Boosibri
Posts: 12,471 ✭✭✭✭✭
I have fallen into quite an extensive Chilean crown collection with the full plunge coming when I acquired one of two genuine Chiloe 8 Reales from Carlos Jara a few years back (https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1093835/grade-update-chiloe-8-reales-and-summary-of-jaras-work-on-the-topic#latest). Prior to that I had acquired a Coquimbo Peso (from @MrEureka), a 1768 Santiago Pillar 8R (https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1098733/the-census-of-surviving-1768-so-8-reales), and one of two proof 1868 Silver Peso's (https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1095395/longacre-and-his-connection-to-chile-updated-with-discovery#latest), which I have posted about in the past.
When the Sincona auction 100 posted a few weeks back, I was excited to see what seemed like a beautiful 1755/1 Santiago Pillar in AU58. This is a rare coin and well documented. In Carlos Jara's book, "Las Primeras Acunaciones de la Casa de Moneda de Santiago de Chile", he noted three specimens extant.
In 2010, Heritage listed a fourth specimen, this coin, which had been stored in a bank vault in Europe since World War II, and had come to market fresh. It was reserved for $75,000 and failed to sell.
As I do the census, I can now document four coins.
The other specimens are well documented, paraphrasing from Jara's work:
1) First mentioned in Burzio as coming from the Adolfo Adriazola collection, to Yudelevich. Plated in Elizondo. Appeared in the April 4-5, 1997 Ponterio sale and realized $24,000. Note the legends on the shield side as a marker.
2) VF, first appearing in Ponterio sale #129, January 6-7, 2004. Failed to reach reserve. The coin appears to have been expertly smoothed with subsequent Stacks sales in 2011 and 2024.
Goldberg 5/2008
Ponterio 8/2011, 
Stacks 8/2024 SP Rutherford sale Graded AU55
3) 1966 Parsons sale by Henry Christensen is notable as the Pillar side of the coin is engraved with initials. The coin is plated in Calbeto and noted as from the Christensen sale and while clearly the same coin, no initials noted.
Christensen 1966
Calbeto 
Aureo offered in 2012 (unsold) and 2021 ($15k hammer)
4) My coin. Noted in the 8/2011 sale as being found in Europe after 60years. Originally in a 2010 Heritage sale, failed to meet the $75,000 reserve. Sincona 10/2025. Massive thanks to @MrEureka who was in the room bidding on my behalf. Waygu for the pups tonight!
Finally, thanks for @scubafuel, @JohnnyCache and @realeswatcher for correcting my image attribution and finding the Aureo example.
Comments
This is absolutely gorgeous! Love the patina and the supreme rarity! Congrats!
Anthony the Coinman
_Keen Collector, Avid Researcher, Occasional Dealer
_
Instagram: @anthonythecoinman
Just Wow. Fantastic coin and great write up to read.
The eye appeal on this coin alone would make it exceptional. That this specimen happens to also be ridiculously rare pretty much stops me in my tracks.
Congrats and thanks for sharing!
…..and Wow again.
Ahhhhh! Well done Brian, well done Andy!
I'm BACK!!! Used to be Billet7 on the old forum.
Interesting die rust marks above the pillars on those coins. Very nice coin.
I watched the auction. It looked like you had some competition for that one.
http://www.victoriancent.com
Thanks for sharing , its quite a nice pillar dollar.
Fantastic in fact
It's all about what the people want...
Reused dies from 1751
Latin American Collection
What a great post as always @Boosibri
Tremendous addition to an already world class collection!
thank you!
Latin American Collection
I think I left a comment when I saw this on IG this morning-- terrific specimen. Congrats on the acquisition.
My eBay page: https://www.ebay.com/usr/alvareznumismatics
Great addition to your set!
@Boosibri I have trouble matching the Christensen coin to the Stacks coin. Look at the letters VI on the shield side. The Christensen example has well struck rim and dentils above the VI. The Stacks coin does not.
Also, it's interesting that they are said to have been struck on one day, since it looks like your coin has more extensive die rust than the Stacks coin does, especially around the floret? and V in VTRA.
Many congrats on the acquisition! I certainly prefer your coin compared to the others. The rusted observe die adds a lot of character.
It would be great to get another picture of the overdate once you get it in hand.
My current "Box of 20"
Excellent addition to your collection!
I hope you’ve figured out how to avoid the tariff. While supposedly technically it isn’t applicable, good luck persuading FedEx brokerage of that. They just want to clear their queue and move on. Getting it right isn’t part of the equation.
Agree
Latin American Collection
I thought a similar thing, I landed on this: it wasn’t struck on the same day. Perhaps there was a ceremonial need, a restrike for demonstration purposes, for a government official, could be a lot of reasons. I can’t imagine they’re done on the same day, possibly not even the same year. A numismatic mystery that will probably never be solved!
Who knows really, in the end it’s a terribly awesome coin!
I'm BACK!!! Used to be Billet7 on the old forum.
My other thought is that the one is just better struck and better preserved.
I'm BACK!!! Used to be Billet7 on the old forum.
Nice coin- well executed plan
edited to add- Congrats which is what I intended to begin with
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
Wonder if the act of striking 17,419 coins in one day flattened out the fields and ameliorated the die rust, making this one of the earlier strikes.
Do you suspect that at some point the Christensen coin, post auction, was "worked on"?
It appears, from your picture posted above of the coin in the Christensen auction catalog, that I see what looks like a faint "A" and a "G", though it's tough to tell.
However, in both Stacks sales, the 2011 & 2024, I don't really see, what I initially thought were, the initials they were talking about in the Christensen catalog.
Stack's 2024
Stack's 2011
Edit to include reference to Stack's Auction
@JohnnyCache that's what I was thinking. It would be a details coin anyway, so a little "smoothing" is better than graffiti. Turns out that Stacks (or someone) managed to get into a non-details holder.
As we've seen with Millennia, NGC grading around that time was horrendous. That coin is in its tomb!
Edited to include Stacks 2011 image:
The 2024 Stacks image seems to show it better, though a bit washed out:
Zoomed in view:
@JohnnyCache @pruebas do you think the Christensen coin and the stacks coin are the same example? The dentils on the shield side are very different.
Calbeto noted the Christensen sale coin in his works which he only did when he bought it. So I trusted that linkage
Latin American Collection
Christensen noted the graffiti. And Stacks showed it in their 2024 photo (with a note linking it to the 2011 coin).
So I would say they are the same coin.
I don't think so, as you point out, based on dentils.
I believe the Christensen coin and the Calbeto coin are the same, irrespective of the initials mentioned then not mentioned. The Calbeto picture, and I looked at my copy in hand, is too grainy to pick up on the area were I think something (initials) is evident and outright mentioned in the Christensen catalog.
However, when comparing the Christensen / Calbeto coin to the two images of the Stack's coin (2011, 2024) I just do not think they are the same. I get that photography can make things look vastly different at times, but I don't think it would go from strong dentils in certain areas to no dentils.
The coin above listed as #2) VF, first appearing in Ponterio sale #129, January 6-7, 2004 is the same coin as the Stack's coin for 2011 + 2024
Super addition, @Boosibri
The Christensen/Calbeto example is decidedly a different coin the Ponterio 2011/Stack's 2024 Rutherford specimen. Beyond what's mentioned above about the centeredness, simply look at the lower paw of the kitty in the bottom left quadrant of the shield... The Rutherford example cat has a very weakly struck paw (and adjacent segment of the shield outline) to the point where it is almost indistinct, whereas the Christensen/Calbeto one, despite the old low-res pics, clearly has a rather boldly struck paw.
Duh, I didn't catch that - indeed it is! And thus, @Boosibri's Coin #2 and Coin #4 are in fact the same coin... so it's back down to (4) specimens known as was noted in the descriptions of that coin.
And it's hard to be totally certain comparing the 2004 printed catalog pics of that coin still raw to what we see in the 2011/2024 appearances after it was holdered NGC55... but the piece very well may have taken a bath in between.
As for @Boosibri's Coin #3, the Christensen/Calbeto piece... it surfaced in an Aureo Calico sale in Dec. 2021. The modern pics show the graffiti lettering much more clearly, obviously.
https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=8939929
Awesome @realeswatcher
I didn’t spend as much time as usual documenting this coin and can’t believe how lazy I was. Well done in correcting things.
I’ll update the post above based on this, @scubafuel, and @JohnnyCache 's inputs
Latin American Collection
So 4 coins known, 2 of which have graffiti?
That makes yours all the more special.
They even had some live bidders at this auction!
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
I didn't fully appreciate that point when I bid on the coin, not that it would have changed my bid.
I came to a similar realization in documenting the 1768. Only three coins are basically gradeable of the 16-20 extant.
I’m going to do a census of the remaining dates in the Santiago Pillar series to be ready for when the next one comes up.
Latin American Collection
So does that mean you’ve decided on the future direction of your collection?
Latin American crowns by type AND Chilean crowns by date?
I like it!
We will see when the next nice Chilean Pillar shows up. For now I have the best Ferd VI and CIII that I’ve personally seen. If the Cacho 1764 shows up it will be a choice between adding it and keeping the 1768 or doing a date set. I didn’t love the Von Schuckmann / Lissner 1758 which is the only documented Ferd VI which rivals my 1755 (currently a 61 but whitish and struck off center). I can imagine doing a date set and really enjoying it.
I’d like to add a non-1770 and probably non 1759 Colombia Pillar as a next priority to narrow in on a Pillar mint set. The 1762 from von Schuckmann is very nice and hopefully can be purchased one day soon.
Latin American Collection
Could you have ever imagined, just 10 years ago, being where you are today, with respect to assembling what truly is a world class collection.
From buying the books, to honing your eye with some of your early purchases to now researching and acquiring some of the most sought after Latin American rarities ever known.
It's been fascinating from the perspective of a spectator just along for the ride watching you do it here on the forums, but it must be so much more surreal for you. Congratulations! and much continued success.
That’s very kind of you @JohnnyCache ! It has been a great 10yrs collecting in this space. I’ve been fortunate to have my ability to buy such coins increase during that time and the help and support of @MrEureka in adding many of the coins I’ve been able to acquire.
Also special thanks to @pruebas @CoinRaritiesOnline @bidask @CarlosJ @TwoKopeiki and many others for the opportunity to add some great coins and books over the years
Latin American Collection