To begin the new year, we have a special treat. Our Treasure of the Month for January is a very rare Fleet coin, a fully dated Mexico one escudo. This coin was minted as a special production referred to as galano. The term galano refers to coins that were specially struck. Unlike the cob series that were handmade and essentially crude, these coins were carefully prepared on round planchets and produced using a screw driven medal press.
These coins were likely struck on request for special purposes, such as church weddings. The beauty of these coins is apparent, even to non-collectors.
In addition to the one escudo galano, four and eight escudos were also produced. By far, the one escudo is the most rare. By comparison, nine Mexico 1714 dated eight escudos are known.
Our featured treasure weighs 3.3 grams and was found at the Douglas Beach Wreck site in 2015. Remarkably, this coin was graded by the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) as a mint state 67! A coin truly deserving of its grade.
Special thanks to Sal Guttuso (Member #226), Director of Operations, 1715 Fleet — Queens Jewels, LLC, for providing background information and images. Also, thanks to Fleet Society, Vice President Phil Flemming, for his contribution to the information contained in this text. Sources reviewed were Alan Craig’s Spanish Colonial Gold Coins in the Florida Collection, published by the University Press of Florida (2000).
