Rare 1644 Madrid Spain 8 Reales with Gorgeous Toning!
Item #CC-0064 | 1644 Madrid Spain 8 Reales with Gorgeous Toning!
Mint: Madrid, Spain
Assayer: NV
Ruler/Period: King Philip IV
Grade: Clipped (Most likely AU details)
Weight: 23.00 Grams
For details on this coin from NGC, click on the serial number here: 2858729-004
Description: This Old World Spanish 8 reales is a stunner! With gorgeous turquoise and blue toning, strong strike, and clear details, this piece is perfect for any Spanish cob collection. NGC does not give grades to coins that are under weight or clipped, but with this era of coinage, clipping a piece off of a coin was common practice. Should you need to make change back in the 1600’s, you could simply cut or clip a piece of the coin off. This is where the term “piece of eight” was derived from.
The obverse of this beautiful specimen displays a complete Hapsburg shield with boldly struck details that show the well defined arms of Portugal near the top of the shield, which you rarely see, a pomegranate within a triangle under the arms representing the kingdom of Granada, and to the right the arms of Aragon, Naples, and Sicily as well as other territories of the realm displayed below. For more details on what each of these symbols and the others represented on the Hapsburg shield, see our article “Deciphering the Doubloons of Seville” for a fascinating look into what these symbols represent: https://commodorecoins.com/treasure-blog/deciphering-the-doubloons-of-seville/
In addition to the details of the shield, you also see the royal crown adorning the top of the shield, a portion of the legend with King Philip IV’s name and ordinal shown as “PHILIPPVS IIII” and the “8” denomination at the 3 o’clock position. It is very rare for Spanish cobs of this era to display this much detail. To top it off, the surfaces of the obverse are bathed in a gorgeous turquoise, lilac, and light green toning, which gives the coin superb eye appeal.
The reverse side of the coin displays nicely preserved castles and lions in the four quadrants of a complete cross, a clearly visible 1644 date and a portion of the legend. The reverse also displays splashes of original lilac and green toning, which again enhances the eye appeal.
This exceptionally rare piece is one of our favorites and will make a perfect addition to any Spanish cob collection!
In stock
$1,500.00
