Hello This is my 1st attempt at posting a thread and would be grateful to anyone who can shed some light on this coin. As far as i can make out it is from Spain and will be one of the Philips.It may be a 2 escudos. As it has no date I feel i am going to struggle on this one. The coin is in a mount but this is not attached to the coin by solder. The coin measures approx 1 1/8 inch across. Many thanks for any help. Phil
Howdy alphaphil - Welcome to the Forum !! The coin you pictured appears to be a gold 2 escudo of Philip II. I say appears because there are some details that are not consistant with examples I have seen or have pics of. There are also details that cannot be seen on the coin due to apparent damage. The coin looks to have been sea salvaged and heavily clipped. It was common in that age for coins to be clipped as a way of cheating. They would clip pieces from the edges and save the gold. I say it looks to have been sea salavaged because of what looks like corrosion. Now somebody will say that gold does not corrode in salt water - and they're right, usually it doesn't. But Philip II had debased most of his coinage by reducing the silver & gold content. No one knows for sure what the fineness of Philip's coins is without assaying them. He also removed the assayers mark from many of his coins so that the assayer could not be tracked down and asked. Thus the alloy used in the gold coins could cause corrosion. At this point - I am not even sure the coin is genuine. It could easily be a fake. It appears to be of a type struck in the late 1500's - and if it is genuine - even considering the damage and that it has been mounted as jewelry - it is quite valuable, possibly worth several thousand dollars. But before you go getting all excited - remember it may be a fake. I myself cannot tell for sure. But I do know the leading expert in the world for these coins and I will ask him to take a look at your pics and provide his opinion. Be patient as this will take some time.
Well - I got an answer faster than I expected. It is copied below in its entirety - So - good news it appears But remember nothing is certain as his opinion is based on a pic. And regarding the mount - do not attempt to remove it yourself should you decide you wish to sell this coin. Either have a jeweler or an experienced coin dealer do so. Of course they may buy it as is.
How's come Nd ? I didn't do anything but ask the question of someone who could answer it. But thanks anyway
Hello GDJMSP Many thanks for help with this coin. I will definitely use the forum again. All the best Phil
