Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of TreasureBeachesReport.blogspot.com.
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| 1711 Lima 8-escudo Up For Sale On eBay. |
You might remember the post I did on 7/28 showing a pile of gold coins found this year by salvors working the Treasure Coast. I mentioned that I could see some Pillars and Waves cobs from Lima in that group.
A couple days ago I did a post about what is called the Jeweled Cross Series of gold cobs. Those are early Mexico minted cobs.
Today I'll post a bit about Peruvian gold cobs. They were produced from 1696 to 1750. I'll only consider those up to 1715 in today's post, and I'll just consider 8-escudos for no good reason other than brevity.
Of course the first thing you'll notice about these cobs is the nice pillars and waves design.
Compared to Columbian and Mexican gold cobs, Peruvian gold cobs are usually relatively round rather than odd shaped, well centered, and have a clear date and mint mark. In general they are well struck.
The mint mark is in the top left and the mint mark top right, and the date is on the bottom row. That makes it easy enough.
There are some Lima 8-escudos that are very rare and others that are relatively common.
The 1696 H, 1701 H, and 1709 H are the most rare Lima 8-escudos of the period that I am talking about. H is the assayer initial. There are only five or so known examples of each of those.
The most common of those up to 1715 are the 1711 M, 1712 M, and 1713 M. I don't doubt that one of the main reasons they are more common is because those dates would have been ready to be shipped with the 1715 Fleet.
A 1711 M 8-escudo
currently
offered for sale on eBay
I think I'll be able to show you more of this years finds before long.
For a good detailed report on Lima gold cobs of all denominations, here is a link to a good detailed report by Sedwick Coins.
http://www.sedwickcoins.com/articles/limagoldcobs.htm
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Since posting about the jeweled cross series of gold cobs yesterday, I've heard from two people who have found one. I might be able to post a picture of one of those in the near future.
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One of the most scenic train rides you can ever take is the Durango to Silverton narrow gauge railroad. If you ever get a chance take that train. It goes past some amazing scenery as it follows the Animas River, which at one point you can see running through a famous gorge just as you enter a tunnel. Then when you get to Silverton, it is like you just stepped onto a TV set. The town looks like the old West the way you see it on TV. You can see the old silver mine right outside of town, and there is still placer mining in the area.
Maybe you've heard about the Animas River in the news lately. That is the river spoiled by millions of gallons of toxic waste spilled into the river by the EPA! Yes, it is the same Environmental Protection Agency that is so zealously regulates and fines anyone from huge corporations to small scale recreational miners. And it was their fault that this horrid mess took place. They'll pay for some of the damage, but it will come out of our pockets.
Hopefully the beautiful Animus River and other streams downstream will recover quickly. I can only hope so. It is a shame to see such beautiful country spoiled like that. When it gets cleaned up, I highly recommend visiting the area if you never have, and take the train to Silverton. Oh, and they run a Christmas Special, just like the Polar Express that would be utterly fantastic if you have kids - or not. When it comes to things like that I still am a kid.
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If you send me pictures or anything by email it would be good idea to if you put like Do Not Post (DNP should do) or OK To Post on the top. I usually don't post something if I'm not sure about it. It would just make it a little easier for me if I don't even have to think about it. Thanks to all.
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Kudos to Garrett Detectors. I had a problem with a slipping arm cuff. I called and told them and they promptly sent out a new one, which I put on my detector, and it seems to work find. Good customer response.
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I watched a Youtube video in which a guy was going to test and compare an ATX and CTX 3030. After watching about a minute I could tell that the guy didn't know how to use those detectors very well. Sometimes the detector comparisons you see are worthless simply because the detectors aren't used well. Some detectors are easier to use than others, but it is very easy to use the ATX poorly. You can't tell much about a detector if you don't know how to use it. I can't believe that fellow was buying these high end detectors and was so clueless about how to use them.
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Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
