Our featured treasure for October is a classic rarity as far as Fleet gold is concerned. When it comes to four escudos recovered from the 1715 Fleet, those from the Lima mint are beyond rare. A recently discovered 1967 inventory of all gold coins recovered by the Real Eight CompanyAlso referred to occasionally as “The Real 8 Company”- was incorporated in 1961. It had eight members….Kip Wagner, Kip Kelso, Dan Thompson, Harry Cannon, Lou Ullian, Del Long, Erv Taylor and Lis... up to that time reveals some very interesting information. Of all the four escudos salvaged, 96% were from the Spanish colonial mint at Mexico City. The mints at Lima and Seville accounted for the rest.
In his book “The Gold Cobs of El Peru (1696-1750)”, Gold Cobs Publication, 2013. On pages 38 – 40 Phil Flemming analyzes gold cobs produced at the Lima mint in 1707. Below is that analysis:
Our 1707 Lima four escudos weighs 13.47 grams. This issue offers an unobstructed view of its central obverse details with no damage and barely a trace of circulation. Much of the outer legend is visible on the right. A tiny planchet crack is seen in the upper right rim. The reverse is impressive with a perfectly centered cross with no doubling. The distinctive castle and lion motif is clear and sharp. The reverse also has a bit of toning which alludes to its sea salvaged history.
Over the years we have featured many coins from the Lima mint. For more information on other Lima denominations see our Treasure of the Month for September 2011 (1705 Lima eight escudos); January 2012 (1701/0 Lima eight escudos); April 2012 (1697 Lima four escudos); July 2012 (1708 Lima eight escudos); May 2018 (1698 Lima two escudos); June 2021 (1712 Lima eight escudos); November 2023 (1699 Lima eight escudos); and August 2024 (1712/1 Lima one escudo).
We would like to thank Stack’s Bowers Galleries for the use of their image and text. Special thanks to Phil Flemming for providing us with historical information from his book “The Gold Cobs of El Peru (1696 – 1750)”.
