I am a bartender and coin collector. I received this from a customer who could not remember where or how he acquired it. Can anyone help me identify it? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.
Looks like a 16th century or so Spanish colonial coin, very similar to this one that sold at vcoins... https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/ha...carlos_i__juana_assayer_f/500865/Default.aspx
I was gonna say it reminds me of a Dutch Duit, because of the V, but the mystery is already solved. Good work chrsmat71, and it's not even a turtle.
I'm curious about the story behind how you acquired the coin. Was it in exchange for a round of drinks?
It was gift from a long-time friend who knows I collect coins and currency from all over the world. Although he gave it to me at my work, it was not in exchange for drinks.
Two "American" mints produced these bronzes for local use. Mexico City, and Santo Domingo during the reign of Charles and Joanna (c.1556) Mexico City was the first mint, Santo Domingo didn't last very long. The locals hated them and threw them into bogs, water, etc. which is why they are generally "scudzy" to use an Early American Coppers term. They are quite scarce and an excellent example of a local coinage that didn't work. Pradeau's book "Numismatic History of Mexico" goes into some detail about the demise of these coppers. I have four of them; sorry, no pics of such. My bad. I have a first edition of the book with a presentation inscription to a Mrs Sonya Marillon. In the preface he thanks Howland Wood then at the ANA for the preparation of the plates. Great stuff.
OOPS, I wrote Mr. Wood was with the ANA; he worked at the ANS. I found my first one in a bag of world coins I purchased from a US dealer. It took me awhile to get the skinny on it. I didn't have Pradeau then. A really great site for identifying old world coins is Rhino a very well done site for very many countries and old world coinage. Check it out, rhinocoins.com.