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495

MEXICO, Mexico City, 3 reales, Charles-Joanna, "Early Series," assayer Rincón, three bars denominati

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / Cobs - Mexico Silver Start Price:24,000.00 USD Estimated At:30,000.00 - 45,000.00 USD
MEXICO, Mexico City, 3 reales, Charles-Joanna, Early Series, assayer Rincón, three bars denominati
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This item SOLD at 2025 May 07 @ 18:06UTC-04:00 : AST/EDT
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MEXICO, Mexico City, 3 reales, Charles-Joanna, "Early Series," assayer Rincón, three bars denomination, extremely rare, NGC XF 40, ex-Angert. Nesmith-5d type/5d; Cal-114; S-M1; KM-14. 10.09 grams. This gem checks off all the boxes for the discerning collector: rarity, quality and pedigree. It is one of only a few examples of non-salvaged, problem-free 3 reales, and one of only four to be straight-graded by NGC. Its rarity cannot be understated, especially in comparison to the type with three dots for the denomination. This coin's pedigree is similarly impressive, once residing in Francisco J. Angert’s collection, which Robert Nesmith studied and mentioned specifically in his landmark reference on coinage of this period, The Coinage of the First Mint of the Americas at Mexico City: 1536-1572, published in 1955. In fact, it appears on page 68 as another example of Nesmith’s 5d (the other being in the National History Museum in Mexico). In August 1972 this coin sold in an Almanzar auction to a prominent south Texas collector, Pat Pace, and from there became part of the Paul Karon collection that was auctioned by Superior in December 1992 (lot 141). Several other examples reside in museums or permanent collections but are missing in many prominent collections, another testament to its rarity.

Note that below the pillars is a Gothic R for the initial of the first assayer of the Mexico City mint, Francisco del Rincón, whose tenure lasted just two years, from 1536 to 1538. The 3 reales coins were some of the earliest emissions from the mint, and this three-bar type was apparently minted after the three-dot type, according to Robert Nesmith. A Gothic R is also used in the pillars legend, while there is a prominent Latin M at the end of INDIARVM on the pillars side (which interestingly does not contain ? as seen in IOhA?A in the shield-side legend). Gothic m’s for the mintmark flanking either side of the shield are used throughout Rincón’s tenure. The letters A, O, L, V, and D are Latin instead of Gothic, with the last-mentioned created from a Latin O and a Gothic I punch. All in all, these coins are a mixture of original Gothic punches and Latin (sometimes crude) substitutes once the Gothic punches wore out. Given the number of different dies from this time period, it’s probable that dies wore out quickly.

Matching its pedigree, this coin has rich old toning, full details including legends, just a bit weakly struck just above the centers. Its return to the market now is a rare opportunity. Pedigreed to the F.J. Angert Collection (Guatemala) and to the Paul Karon Collection (Superior auction of December 1992, lot 141), also Plate Coin on page 34 of Paoletti's 8 Reales Cobs of Potosí (3rd edition, 2016), earlier sold in the Almanzar auction of August 1972 (lot 2220).
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The Rincón Three Reales of Mexico Charles-Joanna by Cori Sedwick Downing (Updated May 2025)
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