World Gold - 1725CA JJ 4 Escudos, Spain NGC MS62 Ex. Caballero de las Yndias Collection - Finest Known!

Here's a golden rarity from the Spanish Empire of the 18th century, struck at the mint in Cuenca. This specimen was issued during the reign of Philip V, who ruled from 1700 to 1724, and then abdicated for his son Louis I to rule in his place. Sadly, Louis held power for a short seven months before succumbing to smallpox. After his son's death, Philip resumed his reign in 1725, the year this issue was struck, until his own passing in 1746. NGC has graded one in MS62, with absolutely none finer! The obverse presents crowned arms in an order collar, and reads PHILLIPPUS V DEI GRA. The reverse displays a cross in quatrefoil and reads, HISPANIARUM REX CA JJ 4 1725. This piece is 32 mm in diameter, 13.5 grams in weight, and 0.917 pure gold. KM #334.

Portrait of Philip V by Louis-Michel van Loo, circa 1739. Image: Wikipedia.

The city of Cuenca had been a mint city for centuries, ever since the rule of Yahya al-Qudir, the Dhulnunid (Berber Muslim) ruler of the Taifa of Toledo, Spain (1075-1085) and the Taifa of Valencia (1086-1090). The year 1718 saw the Cuenca mint modernized with equipment that enabled the striking of round coinage. Juan Jose Garcia Caballero, the assayer of the Segovia mint, was appointed to work at the Cuenca mint, where he used the initials 'JJ' (they are found upon this offering from AUCM). Caballaro arrived at Cuenca in March, however the Madrid mint was integrated into the Royal Treasury in July of 1718. Up to that point, very little gold had been coined in Madrid. But thereafter gold was minted in Madrid on a regular basis. Since the Madrid mint was located in the seat of power of the Spanish Empire, the Cuenca mint was closed in 1728 and its equipment and materials moved to the Madrid mint. However, it was only during 1725 that the Cuenca mint struck gold pieces in very small quantities. The 4 Escudos specimen offered by AUCM was among the small emissions of that historic mint.