908

Bogota, Colombia, cob mitad of a 1/4 real (?), Philip V, no assayer (1724-9), very rare.

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / World Coins - World (A-G) Start Price:400.00 USD Estimated At:500.00 - 1,000.00 USD
Bogota, Colombia, cob mitad of a 1/4 real (?), Philip V, no assayer (1724-9), very rare.
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This item SOLD at 2021 Nov 05 @ 11:19UTC-4 : AST/EDT
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Bogota, Colombia, cob mitad of a 1/4 real (?), Philip V, no assayer (1724-9), very rare. Restrepo-unl; KM-unl; Cal-unl. 0.44 gram. The concept of an official "1/8 real" in the form of a half-weight 1/4 real is based on an article by Herman Blanton in the November/December 2015 issue of NI Bulletin (Vol 50, Nos 11-12), in which the author cites Barriga-Villalba's mint records (Historia de la Casa de Moneda, 1969, Vol III, page 537) that state "cuartillos y mitades" were struck in the year 1726, another theory being that "mitades" ("halves") actually refers to 1/2R, which are known for this date without any other reference to them in the documents, in which case half-weight 1/4R like this one were simply cut down after striking (or corroded). In any case, the present example bears corded borders and choice full castle and lion that match those on the known 8R of 1722 (but see lot 903 above for Barriga-Villalba record showing 1/4R were made in 1724, 1726 and 1729 only), darkly toned XF with light surface porosity. Pedigreed to the Gran Colombia collection.