1663 Potosi 8 Reales NGC XF Details – Seville Harbor Wreck

Item #CC-0920 | 1663 Potosi 8 Reales NGC XF Details – Seville Harbor Wreck
Mint: Potosi, Bolivia
Assayer: E – “Antonio de Elgueta”
Ruler/Period: King Philip IV
Grade: XF Details

For details and population on this coin from NGC, click on the serial number here: 2921481-008

Description: A gorgeous example in a well preserved state given it’s find in the waters near Seville! Graded XF Details by NGC, this full weight 8 reales has 3 visible dates, a gorgeous cross, and is overall well struck. 

Treasure was routinely transported upriver by smaller vessels from the Atlantic anchorage to Seville, the heart of Spain’s imperial trade. Sometime around 1671, it is believed that one such boat was lost near Seville—whether by sinking, grounding, or the dispersal of its cargo in the river remains uncertain. This long-forgotten loss came back to light in the mid-1990s, when a substantial hoard of silver cob 8 and 4 reales from Potosí began appearing on the Spanish numismatic market. The coins, none dated later than 1671 and many in notably sound condition, bore clear signs of having been water-recovered. Although released without formal provenance, they were widely reported to have been discovered in Seville Harbor during dredging and riverbed disturbance associated with the installation of a fiber-optic cable across the Guadalquivir River. Collectively, this material has since become known as the “Seville Harbor” find, representing one of the most significant inland recoveries of Spanish colonial silver ever documented.

Out of stock

$1,550.00