Very Rare 1652 Potosi 8 Reales NGC XF Details – Gilt Dragon Shipwreck
Item #CC-0530 | Very Rare 1652 Potosi 8 Reales NGC XF Details – Gilt Dragon Shipwreck
Mint: Potosi, Bolivia
Ruler/Period: King Philip IV
Assayer: “E” for Antonio de Elgueta
Grade: XF Details
For details and population on this coin from NGC, click on the serial number here: 8364855-002
Description: This superb 1652 Potosí Piece of Eight was recovered from the shipwreck of the Dutch East India Company Vergulde Draeck, otherwise known as the Gilt Dragon!
The Gilt Dragon was a ship purchased by the Dutch East India Company in 1653. On October 4th, 1655 she departed Texel in the Netherlands under the command of Pieter Albertszoon to sail for Batavia, Indonesia.
On the night of April 28th, 1656, the Gilt Dragon struck a submerged coral reef midway between what are now the coastal towns of Seabird and Ledge Point, Western Australia. On board were 193 crew, eight boxes of silver coins worth 78,600 guilders and trade goods to the value of 106,400 guilders.
Of the 193 crew, 118 are believed to have perished. The initial 75 survivors, including the ship’s captain Pieter Albertszoon, and the under steersman, made it to shore. They had with them the ship’s boat along with a small amount of provisions and stores that washed ashore.
For over 350 years, the legend of the Gilt Dragon lived on across Western Australia and the ship remained undisturbed until April 14, 1963, when some young recreational spear-fishermen stumbled upon it.
To give you an idea of just how rare this coin is, here are some statistics regarding the coins that were recovered:
1) At the time the Gilt Dragon sank, it was carrying eight chests of silver coins, intended to fund the purchase of spices from Batavia (now Jakarta in Indonesia). Research by the maritime archeologist Jeremy Green indicated that this equated to “…about 40,000 individual coins.”
2) To date it is estimated that only 19,100 have been recovered and of the 19,100 coins, 8,308 are corroded so heavily that they are considered to be scrap or conglomerate.
3) 6,504 coins are held by the Western Australia Maritime Museum.
4) Only 4,288 (10.72%) are legally held in private hands with only a tiny fraction given a permit to leave Australia and this coin is one of them.
5) The most common coins recovered from the wreck of the Gilt Dragon are Mexico 8 reales and very few Potosi 8 reales were found.
On the obverse of this coin, you have a lot of details that you don’t often see on this Type VIII transitional period variety. Here you have a well centered design of the Pillars of Hercules over waves, two “P” mint marks, and assayer initial “E”. You also have a nicely struck crown, a full 1652 date and the words PLV SVL TRA (Plus Ultra) which is the Latin term for “More Beyond”.
On the reverse of this coin, you have a beautifully centered quatrefoil with nicely struck castles and lions. You also have another clear 1652 date, the mint mark “P”, the assayer’s initial “E” and even a portion of the legend.
This coin comes with a certificate of authenticity issued by the Western Australian Museum and note card designating this coin as “Very Scarce”.
If you are looking for an exceptional example of a rare Spanish Colonial Piece of Eight from a highly sought after shipwreck, then this coin is for you!
For more information on the Gilt Dragon, visit: https://museum.wa.gov.au/maritime-archaeology-db/roaring-40s/vergulde-draeck
In stock
$4,500.00
