Bolivia 8 Reales 1612-16 "Atocha 1622 Shipwreck" PCGS VF
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BOLIVIA. Potosí. Cob 8 Reales of Philip III. Assayer Q/R (curved leg). Rare Q/R Assayer - Looks like a Grade 1.
S-P17; KM-10; Cal-915. 20.07 grams.
A coin of exceptional presence, this bold silver 8 Reales cob emerges from the depths of one of history’s most legendary shipwrecks—the Nuestra Señora de Atocha, flagship of the ill-fated 1622 treasure fleet.
Struck at the Potosí mint in the waning years of Philip III’s reign, the piece bears the elusive Q/R assayer mark with its distinctive curved leg, a transitional rarity highly coveted by connoisseurs of early Spanish-American numismatics. Though the centuries beneath the sea have imparted expected corrosion along its peripheries, the coin retains its majesty: a full and commanding shield of Castile and León paired with a bold Jerusalem cross, each a proud emblem of Spain’s imperial dominion. The surfaces shimmer with a silvery marine toning, enhancing its character as a true artifact of the sea.
Philip III, whose reign bridged the stern power of his father Philip II and the extravagance of his son Philip IV, presided over the empire at its greatest territorial extent. Yet beneath the golden veneer of the Siglo de Oro lay fiscal decline and military overreach, conditions that made the treasure of the 1622 fleet all the more critical to Spain’s fortunes. The loss of the Atocha’s immense cargo of silver, gold, and emeralds proved nothing short of catastrophic—a financial disaster compounded by human tragedy as nearly 260 lives were claimed by the hurricane that sealed the ship’s fate.
Recovered over three centuries later by the legendary treasure-hunter Mel Fisher and his team in 1985, the Atocha’s rediscovery transformed both maritime archaeology and the collecting world, offering a direct and tangible link to Spain’s imperial wealth and its perilous transatlantic trade. This specimen, accompanied by its original Fisher tag (85A-213826; certificate lacking), stands as a rare opportunity to acquire not merely a coin, but a relic of history imbued with the romance of empire, shipwreck, and rediscovery.
A piece equally at home in an advanced numismatic cabinet or as a centerpiece of any collection of Spanish colonial or shipwreck treasures.1
Click Here to read more about the 'Atocha 1622 Shipwreck'
S-P17; KM-10; Cal-915. 20.07 grams.
A coin of exceptional presence, this bold silver 8 Reales cob emerges from the depths of one of history’s most legendary shipwrecks—the Nuestra Señora de Atocha, flagship of the ill-fated 1622 treasure fleet.
Struck at the Potosí mint in the waning years of Philip III’s reign, the piece bears the elusive Q/R assayer mark with its distinctive curved leg, a transitional rarity highly coveted by connoisseurs of early Spanish-American numismatics. Though the centuries beneath the sea have imparted expected corrosion along its peripheries, the coin retains its majesty: a full and commanding shield of Castile and León paired with a bold Jerusalem cross, each a proud emblem of Spain’s imperial dominion. The surfaces shimmer with a silvery marine toning, enhancing its character as a true artifact of the sea.
Philip III, whose reign bridged the stern power of his father Philip II and the extravagance of his son Philip IV, presided over the empire at its greatest territorial extent. Yet beneath the golden veneer of the Siglo de Oro lay fiscal decline and military overreach, conditions that made the treasure of the 1622 fleet all the more critical to Spain’s fortunes. The loss of the Atocha’s immense cargo of silver, gold, and emeralds proved nothing short of catastrophic—a financial disaster compounded by human tragedy as nearly 260 lives were claimed by the hurricane that sealed the ship’s fate.
Recovered over three centuries later by the legendary treasure-hunter Mel Fisher and his team in 1985, the Atocha’s rediscovery transformed both maritime archaeology and the collecting world, offering a direct and tangible link to Spain’s imperial wealth and its perilous transatlantic trade. This specimen, accompanied by its original Fisher tag (85A-213826; certificate lacking), stands as a rare opportunity to acquire not merely a coin, but a relic of history imbued with the romance of empire, shipwreck, and rediscovery.
A piece equally at home in an advanced numismatic cabinet or as a centerpiece of any collection of Spanish colonial or shipwreck treasures.1
Click Here to read more about the 'Atocha 1622 Shipwreck'
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