16 October 2023
|
A Shipwreck and Treasure World Coins sale was held by Heritage on 3 September. One of the highlights was a Philip IV ‘Maravillas’ gold cob 2-escudos value from Columbia.
Stuck at the Nuevo Reino mint in 1654, it was of the Castle-Lion variety.
It had been salvaged from the Nuestra Señora de Las Maravillas, which was sunk in shallow waters off grand Bahama Island in 1656 due to a storm.
The vessel was the admiral ship of the 1656 fleet and filled with millions of pesos in colonial treasure, including much of the silver recovered from the wreck of the Capitana, which had sunk off Chanduy, Ecuador, in 1654.
Nearly half of the treasure was contemporarily salvaged, with the remaining cargo being rediscovered in the 1970s. With few gold coins recovered from the wreck, this one offered a choice, dated Colombian doubloon with an enticing provenance.
Featuring a pristine cross and clear mint, assayer and last digit of the date, it reached $14,000.
SOLD FOR £11,394
Read more auction updates, price guides, and collecting advice in every issue of Coin Collector. Find out more and subscribe to the popular magazine today!
