Following last week’s preview of three Oaxaca gold pieces from the Mexican Revolution, the Stack’s Bowers Galleries world coin team would like to continue our preview of Mexican gold issues to be offered in our Official Auction of the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Baltimore Expo. For this week we have an Iturbide 8 Escudos which is tied for finest certified for its type. Augustin I Iturbide was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico shortly after the War of Independence. This was confirmed by the congress of May 19, 1822. On June 21, 1822, he was crowned as Emperor Augustin I in the cathedral of the capital, Mexico City. He ruled for less than a year at which point he was forced to abdicate the throne on March 19, 1823. Iturbide’s reign defined the struggle between liberal ideals of populism and the conservative authoritarian regimes; both ideals would control the politics of Mexico intermittently in the following century.
The 8 Escudos was the only gold denomination minted in 1822 and is historically significant as it represents the first gold coin of post-Spanish rule Mexico. The obverse design depicts the right facing bare-headed bust of Iturbide, surrounded by the legend “Augustinus Dei Providentia” with the date of 1822 and the Mexico City mintmark. The obverse contains the correct spelling of “Augustinus,” while later issues of this denomination sometimes contain errors in the legend. The reverse design features an early prototype of the Mexican coat of arms, an eagle perched atop a cactus. The eagle is crowned and there are two quivers full of arrows. The legend reads: “Constitut. 8. S. J. M. Mex. I. Imperator.” This very attractive piece is rare in high grade; in this case it is graded by NGC as a Mint State 62 and is tied for the finest certified by NGC. The luster and eye appeal, combined with its impressive historical significance make it a highlight of our upcoming October/November Baltimore auction.
Look for this and other world and ancient numismatic rarities in our upcoming October/November Official Auction of the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Baltimore Expo. Preview this impressive coin along with the rest of our auction this October at the Stack’s Bowers office located in Irvine, California. For details please refer to the Events Calendar link at www.StacksBowers.com. To schedule an appointment, please call 800.458.4646. While our Stack’s Bowers Galleries October/November Baltimore Auction is no longer open for consignments, we are currently taking consignments of ancient and world coins for our January 2015 New York International Auction and our inaugural December Macau Showcase Auction of Asian Coins and Currency. Time is running short, so if you are interested in consigning your coins and paper currency (whether a whole collection or a single rarity) be sure to contact one of our consignment directors.
