September 2013 Treasure of the Month

A decades old auction has provided us with September’s Treasure of the Month. In October 1965, French’s Numismatic Auctioneers and Dealers conducted its eighty-seventh sale in Richmond, Virginia. Held in conjunction with the now defunct Middle Atlantic Numismatic Association, the sale featured rare coins and paper money. Also featured were several lots of Spanish silver coins salvaged off the Florida coast (Lots 1655-1664). Our featured coin is an exceptional full and complete date 1715 Mexico eight reales cob in its original auction holder. On the back of the holder is a hand written description of the coin. There is also a notation with the letters “VNA” (probably standing for Virginia Numismatic Association) and the date “10-24-65.” This date corresponds with the actual sale which was October 22-23 1965. What makes this coin particularly appealing is the fact that the paper holder of the coin was kept along with the coin.