1094

Bogota, Colombia, 8 reales, 1835/4RS, with Liberian countermark or test-strike dated 1847 on reverse

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / Coins: Colombia-Guatemala Start Price:5,000.00 USD Estimated At:5,000.00 - 7,500.00 USD
Bogota, Colombia, 8 reales, 1835/4RS, with Liberian countermark or test-strike dated 1847 on reverse
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This item SOLD at 2012 Apr 11 @ 15:49UTC-4 : AST/EDT
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Bogota, Colombia, 8 reales, 1835/4RS, with Liberian countermark or test-strike dated 1847 on reverse, ex-Fonrobert and Restrepo plate coin. Restrepo-158.2s; KM-89. 26.9 grams. This unique piece combines the vibrant realm of Colombian numismatics with an important piece of African history in the founding of the Republic of Liberia in 1847 by freed slaves from America. The countermark on this coin is identical to an obverse pattern for the Liberian 10 cents (KM #Pn3), and in fact we suspect it was more like a test strike than a mark to use this coin locally, as no other specimens exist to our knowledge. The host coin and countermark are both choice XF, with deep, rich toning all over (just a few old scratches next to the countermark) and hints of original luster, the depth of the countermark translating into a flat, featureless protrusion on the other side, on which the host date shows a clear 5/4. Best of all, this very same coin was lot #6045 (called a Dollar) in the epic sale of the Jules Fonrobert collection on January 14, 1879, the catalog for which shows a matching drawing (hence a rare instance where a coin can be positively matched to a pre-photography drawing), in which the sale price is recorded as 32.50 marks versus the normal 2 to 5 marks for the other coins listed. Whether your interest is Colombia or Liberia, historical plate coins or slave-related history, this coin has it all. Pedigreed to the Jules Fonrobert collection, then from an Italian family via Argentina to Louis Hudson, in whose Sale #56 (October 1992) it was offered as lot #225, and plate coin on page 163 of Restrepo's Monedas de Colombia (2009).