Not a U.S. coin but the historical early precursor of the U.S. half dollar coin.
The first coins struck in the New World were made at the initial Mexico City Mint which was located in the home of Spanish conquistador of Mexico Hernan Cortes. Smaller denominations were made initially in 1536 and the larger 4 reales and the extremely rare 8 reales coins were made in 1537 and early 1538. This was 44 years after Columbus landed in the New World in 1492. Cortes conquered Mexico in 1519.
I was traveling in Spain earlier this year and I was looking for this coin but found it here and acquired it today. Daniel Sedgwick does a great job documenting the first coins struck from dies made in the New World in the link here:
https://www.sedwickcoins.com/articl...osyjuana.pdfAs always, let me know your thoughts on the coin.
The First 4 Reales Coin Struck in the New WorldOne interesting thing about this coin is that the crown above the shield continues past the shield on the right hand side and provides an example of the primitive die cutting methods of the earliest efforts to produce coinage in the New World.
MEXICO, Colonial. Juana y Carlos. Queen & King of Spain, 1506-1516. AR 4 Reales (32mm, 13.38 g, 7h). Early series. Mexico City mint; Francisco del Rincón, assayer. Struck 1537-1538. Crowned coat-of-arms / Crowned Pillars of Hercules; PLVS in oval lozenge at center. Nesmith 6b/6a (for obv./rev.); Menzell Mx-11; BW 8. Toned, usual double strike. Good VF. Rare. Among the earliest coinage of the New World and the first 4 Real struck in the hemisphere. Excellent condition for the type with a very clear strike.
On 18 November 1537 a royal decree authorized the minting of 4 and 8 Reales at the Mexico City mint, the earliest instance of these denominations in the New World. Only a handful of trial strikes were made for the 8 Real, making the 4 Real the largest collectable denomination from this issue and the first "half dollar" struck in this hemisphere.
IN NECESSARIIS UNITAS - IN DUBIIS LIBERTAS - IN OMNIBUS CARITAS
THE MAN IN THE ARENA, Theodore Roosevelt at the Sorbonne Paris on April 23, 1910: "
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."
My coin website:
https://fairfaxcoins.com
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Posted 12/06/2022 6:39 pm
