Seeking Spanish Cob Knowledge

Any Spanish Cob experts here? This cob came from the South Carolina coast shortly after hurricane Hugo in 1989. All my coin contacts are US coin experts and this has been a bit of a mystery to me for nearly twenty years now. Anyone here have a working knowledge of Spanish Cobs?

 

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What's the diameter or dimensions? I have a book, but really can't tell much, but it's early.

 

Well..... I am at work and the piece is in my safe at home...... I can say it is about the diameter of a quarter. Maybe very slightly larger and is uneven... Or not perfectly circular. In the center of the coin it is probably as thick as 1 1/2 quarters and tapers down around the edge. I don't know if that is due to wear or has more to do with the manner in which it was struck.

 

You should get a hold of Daniel Sedwick. He's in Florida and a cob expert. Very nice guy and always willing to help and even look at your coins. www.sedwickcoins.com

 

Thank you for that.

 

Was this personally recovered? The coin itself is a waves and pillars design and it looks like it has seen better days on the ocean floor. You got unlucky because the date and mint mark are missing but the coin still has the assayer! It was either minted the Lima mint or the Potosi mint around 1694-1728 during the reign of Carlos II or Phillip V, without the date or mint mark you cannot narrow down the date or who was in reign sadly. Very nice coin! Could we get pictures of the coin from not a close up?

 

Yes sir I did. Even a blind dog finds a bone every now and again! I’ll go take a more distant photo here in just a spell.

 

How’s this work?

 

Complete transparency here...... One of my collecting freinds is familiar with a beach/bay that is a bit secluded on the southern Carolina coast. Every time a Hurricane comes near he heads down there and usually comes back with a few pieces. I talked him into letting me come along after Hugo came through. He found three pieces that day and I found this one using his detector. At the time my detector was little more than a toy. The three pieces he found looked more like pieces of a cob to me. I don’t know if they were broken apart or if they just experienced extreme wear. I was fortunate to find the only complete piece in these photos.

 

What a lovely coin with a awesome story! I know a few people after each hurricane down in Florida that go down to Vero Beach to go detecting for a few days, usually they come back with 1 or two coin. You're coin looks awesome, loving the black color from it being in the sea. Don't clean it please, ever! Is the weight correct on the flip? If so Its an 1/2 reale if you haven't figured it out.

 

I'm thinking this coin came off the shipwreck Capitana, the time on the coin would be correct and the area which is sank(South Carolina) puts it right there.

 

I weighed it on a stamp machine as I recall. My super scientific method... I won’t be doing any cleaning. And I thank you for your knowledge. I did not know it was a half reale..... I gleaned a bit of info just doing Google searching. Probably about as accurate as asking the maids to diagnose my car issues though! I thank you.

 

Would it have been remotely possible that early American colonists may have used these in their commerce at all?

 

Given your permission, I would like to plagiarize your comments for an updated sleeve in my flip if you don’t mind?

 

Possibly but leaning more to a shipwreck coin due to story of finding it on the beach and the dark toning on it. Spanish Reale was legal tender in the U.S till 1857 and where the ship went down there was a early Spanish colony which the waters were used as a deep water port royal(meaning where all cargo comes in) and even the capital of the entire Spanish colony of Florida at one point. The ship went down near colony which was at Saint Helena Island, do you remember being anywhere around there?

 

go for it, more info the better and it's always good to learn!

 

Geographically, that is almost exactly where we were. We hiked past the remains of an ancient Spanish mission on our way to his secret Beach. I believe you have this 100% nailed. It’s been a mystery to me almost twenty years.

 

well there you go, could be part of the shipwreck or maybe someone dropped in walking the beach we may never know but thats the fun part about collecting coins.

 

You have made me want to double up on my arthritis meds and see if I can go find that place again. Your education has made me feel like a kid..... In my mind anyways....