Post A Trio Of Coins.

Nice trio, GLB49!

very nice trip snakes G!

I would also post here, but.....well... long story.

.........................................................................................COINS vs COBS

...this trio illustrates Spanish colonial coinage & it's evolution (?de-evolution?) from coinage to cob production ... starting in the mid-1500s, vs the early-mid 1700s.

...early coin production in the Spanish colonial mints reflected the skill of moniers, artisans who strove to produce round(ish) coins with as much detail as the dies & flans would allow. Notice the beauty & symmetry of the mid-late 1500 coins produced by the three main Spanish colonial mints: Mexico City, Lima, Peru & Potosi, Bolivia.

...during this period, the bulk of silver was poured into heavy bars, for transportation to Spain, to be divided among interested parties. The coins struck were mainly for circulation, & were painstakingly produced with as much detail as possible visible on the flan.

...However, with the discovery of huge silver deposits (Zacateas mountains in Mexico, & the Cerro Rico ("rich mountain") in Potosi, the art of coinage was tossed aside in favor of knocking out as many coins as possible, with much less attention to detail. Coins were more easily divided among investors than were the large bars. So, barrels of "cobs" were produced, with coins (supposedly) bearing the same weight & silver purity.

...although intended to be shipped & re-melted, these cobs were also used in circulation, especially the lower denominations (2 - 1 - 1/2 - 1/4 reales) ...

...the pictures here (all taken from the internet) show the vast difference in quality of detail struck onto the coins (vs "cobs") ... Indeed, the earlier coinage is technically not considered as "cobs", but are avidly sought & collected by cob collectors, as they are a part of the Spanish colonial coinage history ...

WO! excellent MrWhiskers.

...thank you, fellas ...

...Although gaining in popularity, cobs still take a back seat to most all other coinage, with less than 1% of dealers/collectors knowing much about them. Even experts in this field will admit that confirmable information on these coins is sketchy, as records were not meticulously kept for these coins. New information comes to light from scholars pouring over old records.

...I appreciate cobs for their ruggedness, their individuality (like snowflakes, because of the method of production, no 2 genuine cobs are alike). & their place in the economic history of Europe, Asia, & the Americas ...

...For anyone who is interested in beginning a new endeavor, I'd recommend a copy of Daniel Frank Sedwick's "PRACTICAL BOOK OF COBS", 4TH edition as a start ($20 shipped from Dan, or on ebay). Dan's father Frank Sedwick was a pioneer in the study of Spanish colonial coinage, & Dan is a well-known expert in this field. I've bought from & sold to Dan over the last 20 years or so, & trust his knowledge implicitly.

...Exercise caution in starting into this arena, as these rugged boogers can be very addictive, & the cost is not getting any cheaper ... It's a very satisfying challenge to identify & attribute these coins ...

thank you, Marve