As the new year approaches, here at Stack’s Bowers Galleries we have been working diligently on our official NYINC 2022 auction taking place January 14-15 at the InterContinental New York Barclay during the 50th Annual New York International Numismatic Convention (NYINC). The sale features many numismatic treasures from around the globe and spanning more than two millennia. One notable collection included in this massive and diverse sale is the first part of the Pat Johnson Collection containing numerous high-grade, popular and attractive rarities. The collection primarily focuses on 4 and 8 Reales and 4 and 8 Escudos pieces and special attention was paid to quality, eye appeal and "Wow factor!" Featuring items from the colonial era through Republican times, the collection took decades to assemble and comprises many examples that are the finest of their kind with excellent provenances. The breadth of this collection is astounding as it covers many areas and has numerous diverse sub-collections contained within, namely gold, "Royals," Cobs, and milled coinage, with crossover appeal for Colonial and Republican collectors.
Gold Coinage
Intrinsically more valuable than their silver counterparts, gold coins represent a large sum of money in a compact form. Several pieces from Pat’s collection such as his Spain 4 Excelentes of Ferdinand & Isabella, Mexico 1711 "Royal" 4 Escudos and Mexico 1760 4 Escudos are highlights of this diverse offering.
Lot 2144 – High Grade Quadruple Excelentes
SPAIN. 4 Excelentes, ND (1476-1516)-K. Segovia Mint. Ferdinand & Isabella. NGC AU-55.
Lot 2060 – Superb Gem 1711 Royal 4 Escudos
MEXICO. "Royal" Presentation 4 Escudos, 1711-MXo J. Mexico City Mint, Assayer Jose E. de Leon (J). Philip V. NGC MS-66.
Lot 2087 – First Portrait of Charles III 4 Escudos
MEXICO. 4 Escudos, 1760-Mo MM. Mexico City Mint. Charles III. NGC AU-58.
"Royal" Coinage
The exact nature of the these specially prepared issues are shrouded in mystery, though certainly great care was taken in their manufacture. Typically, the planchets of these round coins were carefully cast and prepared to the highest standards with finely engraved dies that differentiated from the currency issues. In some instances, these dies were utilized after the fact for regular coinage and are sometimes found muled with regular dies creating interesting combinations. The four "Royals" listed below showcase this portion of Pat’s collection and demonstrate his intense undertaking to assemble high quality examples from the mints of Bolivia, Mexico and Peru.
Lot 2003 – Fantastic Quality Philip IV "Royal"
BOLIVIA. "Royal" Presentation Cob 8 Reales, 1657-P E. Potosi Mint, Assayer Antonia de Ergueta (E). Philip IV. NGC AU-50.
Lot 2055 – Magnificent "Royal" of Charles II
MEXICO. "Royal" Presentation Cob 8 Reales, 1699/8-Mo L. Mexico City Mint, Assayer Martin Lopez (L). Charles II. NGC AU-58.
Lot 2072 – Magnificent "Royal" of Luis I
MEXICO. "Royal" Presentation Cob 8 Reales, 1725/3-Mo D. Mexico City Mint, Assayer D. Luis I. NGC AU-55.
Lot 2131 – Attractive Lima "Royal" Of Philip V
PERU. "Royal" Presentation Cob 8 Reales, 1722-L M. Lima Mint, Assayer Christobal Cano Melgarejo (M). Philip V. NGC EF-45.
Cob Coinage
These iconic issues represent many things to many people – pirate treasure, pieces of eight, conquering of the new world! And yet their crudeness gives them an unassuming appearance. These hand hammered forms of specie were recognized on a global scale for their consistent weight and purity and were obtainable in quantity. These examples from Pat’s collection exhibit superlative quality compared to how they are normally encountered.
Lot 2030 – Fantastic 1662 4 Reales
COLOMBIA. 4 Reales, 1662-NR P.oR. Bogota Mint. Philip IV. NGC AU-55.
Lot 2044 – Extremely Rare "3 Bars" 3 Reales
MEXICO. Early Series. 3 Reales, ND (ca. 1536)-R. Mexico City Mint, Assayer R (R/oMo-oMo). Carlos & Johanna. NGC EF-45.
Lot 2047 – Highly Desirable Flat Top 8
MEXICO. 8 Reales, ND (ca. 1572-89)-Mo O. Mexico City Mint, Assayer O. Philip II. NGC AU-55.
Lot 2068 – Impressive 1714 "Royal" 8 Reales Struck on a Cob Planchet
MEXICO. Cob 8 Reales (Royal Struck on a Cob Planchet), 1714-Mo J. Mexico City Mint, Assayer J. Philip V. NGC AU-53.
Lot # 2143 – Elusive Santo Domingo 4 Reales
SANTO DOMINGO. 4 Reales, ND (1542-56)-F. Santo Domingo Mint, Assayer Francisco Rodriguez (F). Charles and Johanna. NGC EF-45.
Milled Coinage
The transition from the crude hammered Cob issues to the more refined milled pillar, bust and later Republican issues tells an interesting story of innovation, sophistication and quality of production. The employment of skilled engravers and the addition of complex features elevated these machine-made coins to new heights. Pat’s 1732 4 Reales is an outstanding representative of Mexico’s first milled coinage, and his Maximillian Peso from Guanajuato is easily one of the finest extant from this short-lived emperor. After gaining Independence, Spain’s former colonies struggled for many years from internal turmoil and strife, but ultimately were able to establish themselves and began striking their own coinage. Many countries sought the services of some of the most advanced minting facilities in the world, including the Paris, Heaton and Philadelphia mints. The three post-colonial issues shown here are of outstanding quality and like many of Pat’s beautifully preserved numismatic relics, will command the attention of collectors and specialists.
Lot 2075 – Remarkable Quality 1732 No Assayer and No Denomination 4 Reales
MEXICO. 4 Reales, 1732-Mo. Mexico City Mint. Philip V. NGC MS-64.
Lot 2094 – Wholly Original Looking 1821 4 Reales
MEXICO. 4 Reales, 1821-Mo JJ. Mexico City Mint, Assayer JJ. Ferdinand VII. NGC MS-64.
Lot 2099 – Glorious Maximillian Guanajuato Peso
MEXICO. Peso, 1866-Go. Guanajuato Mint. NGC MS-66.
Lot 2017 – Beautiful Pattern 4 Soles
BOLIVIA. Silver 4 Soles Pattern, 1827-PTS JM. Potosi Mint. NGC PROOF-63.
Lot 2041 – Exceptional Quality Heaton Mint 4 Reales Pattern
GUATEMALA. Silver 4 Reales Pattern, 1895-H CB. Heaton Mint. NGC SPECIMEN-66+.
Lot 2150 – Outstanding 5 Reales
VENEZUELA. 5 Reales, 1858-A. Paris Mint. NGC MS-65.
The importance of the Pat Johnson Collection cannot be understated, as many of the pieces were acquired many years ago. The sale of this collection should draw much attention as it offers a chance to acquire some seldom encountered high grade issues. Stack Bowers Galleries would like to wish bidders good luck and happy bidding.
The entire January 2022 NYINC auction will be available for viewing and bidding at StacksBowers.com, where you can also see our upcoming auction schedule and future offerings. We are always seeking world and ancient coins, medals, and paper money for future auctions, and are currently accepting consignments for our Spring 2022 Hong Kong auction and our Collectors Choice Online (CCO) auctions, the next of which will be in February 2022. If you would like to learn more about consigning, whether a singular items or an entire collection, please contact one of our consignment directors or info@stacksbowers.com today and we will assist you in achieving the best possible return on your material.
