Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
The upcoming SedwickCoins auction catalog for the upcoming auction is now online. I took a look through the catalog and a few things stuck out.
The escudo with the highest estimated price is the one shown here. It has a starting price of $25,000 and a pre-auction estimate of 25,000 to $50,000, which is the high estimate of the escudos.
The auction begins on May 1, and the first session will be the gold cobs. There are 75 lots in that session.
There are several gold cobs with pre-auction estimates of up to $30,000. There are also a number of escudos that are estimated to go below $2000.
Here is the catalog description for this rare Lima 8 escudo.
Lima, Peru, cob 8 escudos, 1701H, Philip V, extremely rare, from the 1715 Fleet. S-L25a; KM-38.1. 26.95 grams. Almost round, evenly struck and perfectly centered, this would be an exceptional specimen for any date, let alone one that is missing in Calico and the State of Florida collection (theirs is Charles II). In fact we can trace only one other example for Philip V, an AU 55 of demonstrably inferior strike but with perhaps slightly more evidence of the coins' having been created from a modified 1700 die. The present coin is at least AU 58 but bears areas of red staining and gray coral that preclude professional encapsulation. What is more important is that the strike is nearly perfect--well centered and even--and the effect in hand is sheer beauty. From the 1715 Fleet.
The shield shows in the top row and L for the Lima mint, an 8 for the denomination, and then the assayer initial.
The second row shows the abbreviation for Plus Ultra.
The third row shows the last three digits of the date.
The source of these photos and catalog description is the following link.
http://auction.sedwickcoins.com/Lima-Peru-cob-8-escudos-1701H-Philip-V-extremely-rare-from-the-1715-Fleet_i19334312
There are very few individual half reales offered in this auction. Most of the reales in this auction are 8 or 4 reales. The few half reales in the auction are mostly included in lots.
There also seems to be more maravedis for sale this time.
It seemed to me there weren't as many interesting artifacts this time either.
There is plenty to see. It seems to me that like with most collectible categories these days, the more common items are losing value while only the rare and remarkable are appreciating.
The Unwritten History of Old St. Augustine consists primarily of letters and reports from Pedro Menendez to the King of Spain. The letters and reports were found in the archives in Seville. It makes very good reading and provides a number of treasure clues and detecting leads. It concerns the events of the 16th and 17th Centuries.
Included is information about lost ships, pirates, battles, and the natives, along with daily life in and around the colony.
Here is the link.
https://archive.org/details/unwrittenhistory00broo
Some of the first home sites of old St. Louis are being investigated. Here is the link to that.
http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/first-evidence-french-colonial-homes-discovered-under-poplar-street-bridge
On the Treasure Coast the tides are becoming more normal. The surf is around three feet or so.
Who can't love this weather besides me?
The wind is out of the Southeast. I hope that doesn't last long. It could with summer coming up.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net