GOLD COIN #47807

By: John Brandon

Gold Coin #47807 was found by John Brandon and the crew of the M/V Endeavor on the Douglas Beach wreck site during the 2001 season.

Numismatic Evaluation

Once the 2001 field season drew to a close in late September, I began to investigate where in the numismatic history of the 1715 Spanish Plate Fleet shipwrecks this particular two-escudo, coin #47807, might fit.

The reverse side of coin #47807 has a well struck and well centered cross and full tressure surrounding the cross. A majority of the border legend is present, reading ET·INDIARVM·REX. Also, the last letter, M, of HISPANIARVM is present.

On the obverse side of the coin, the shield is well centered and well struck, showing no signs of a double strike or indications of die bounce. There is a full and crisp crown and a deeply struck Roman numeral two denomination mark. The OM, Mexico City mintmark and the assayer J initial are clear and legible, though not as deeply struck as the shield, crown and denomination mark. The full date of 1714 is present and deeply struck. The border legend is also present in full, reading PHILIPPVS· V·DEI·G, though not as well struck as the other features on this side of the coin. (See photograph at end of report.)

Coin #47807 has a weight of 6.8 grams. The mean weight of a Mexican two escudo, assayer J, in the State of Florida's gold coin collection, is 6.75 grams, while the standard weight of a Mexican two escudo is placed at 6.76 grams. This makes the coin under discussion here overweight by a mere .05 grams, certainly within tolerances for hand struck coins of the period.

Coin #47807 is 2.5cm at its widest point and 2.3cm at its narrowest, with a thickness of approximately .12cm. Measurements of several Mexican two escudos from the State's collection provide an average width of approximately 2.2cm at their widest point. So the diameter of the planchet of the coin under discussion here would appear to be significantly larger than what the average Mexican two escudo might be expected to be.

As to thickness, no data was available as to the average thickness of Mexican two escudos in the State's collection, so no comparisons can be made. However, the planchet of coin #47807 will probably prove to be thinner than the average Mexican two escudo. A larger but thinner planchet would have allowed for a coin of near proper weight to have been struck and also allowed for the maximum amount of detail from the die to have been transferred to the surface of the coin.

Coin #47807 represents an exceptional specimen of a Mexican two escudo from the 1715 fleet period. Probably only a Royal or presentation piece would surpass this coin in detail and quality. Royals, or Imperials, as they were first called by the salvors of the 1960's, who were the first to recover these magnificent coins, may have been examples of the mint masters ability to strike a round coin, of proper or near proper weight and showing all of the detail inscribed upon the full face of the die. Possibly destined as a presentation coin for the King of Spain, (hence the names Royal or Imperial), to show the quality of work his mint master was capable of, although several other theories about the purpose of these exquisite coins exists.

Interestingly though, preliminary research as of this report indicates that while Royals of eight, four and one escudo denominations have been recovered from the 1715 fleet sites, no two escudo Royals can be documented as having been recovered. Further, in conversations and correspondence with a number of individuals, who are quite knowledgeable about coins recovered from the 1715 fleet wrecks over the years, no one can recall a Royal two escudo ever having been recovered.

In Calico's Monedas Espanolas, he lists two Mexican Royal two escudos. One dated 1711 and the other dated 1712. However, he does not provide any source of origin for either coin. A 1711 Mexican Royal two escudo is pictured in Frank Sedwick's The Practical Book of Cobs, but again there is no reference to the source of origin, and there is no way of determining if the 1711 Royal two escudo pictured in Sedwick's book is one and the same as that listed in Calico's book, or are separate coins.

Additionally, preliminary research also indicates that no cob type Mexican two escudo coins can be documented as having been recovered from the 1715 fleet that approach the quality and detail of the cob type two escudo under discussion here.

In October of 2001, I wrote to Dr. James J. Miller, State Archaeologist and Chief of the Bureau of Archaeological Research for the State of Florida, requesting that he provide me with photographs of 10 or 15 of what would be considered the best examples of Mexican two escudos existing within the State's collection of 1715 fleet gold coins. As a result of over 40 years of private sector historical shipwreck exploration and recovery on the 1715 fleet sites, the State of Florida has amassed one of the most significant collections of Spanish colonial coinage, from the 1715 fleet period, from the Mexico City, Lima, Potosi, Bogotá and Cuzco mints, in existence. The State's collection currently has 245 examples of Mexican two escudos, as of the writing of this report.

Dr. Miller provided me with a computer disc containing photographs of 88 Mexican two escudos, of what I presume to be some of the best examples in the State's collection. None of the coins pictured were of a quality or detail, which would compare to the coin under discussion here. (See photographs at end of report.)

In the mid 1980's, Dr. Alan K. Craig conducted a study of the State's gold coin collection which resulted in the publication of the book, Florida Archaeology, Gold Coins of the 1715 Spanish Plate Fleet: A Numismatic Study of the State of Florida Collection. After reviewing the photographs of Mexican two escudos contained in this book there still appeared to be no examples of a quality or detail, which would compare to the coin under discussion here.

A number of auction catalogs depicting over one hundred 1715 fleet Mexican two escudos were also consulted. But again, no examples of a Mexican two escudo of a quality and detail, which would compare to the coin under discussion here were to be found.

Conclusions

Several conclusions and questions may be posed from the information so far collected.

First, the coin under discussion here, bearing the Mel Fisher Center tag #47807, is clearly an exceptional specimen of a Mexican two escudo of the 1715 period. Of the coins that are documented as having come from the 1715 Spanish Plate Fleet shipwreck, this coin would appear to be one of, if not the best example of a Mexican two escudo ever recovered from the 1715 sites. The author has thus far observed no examples of a Mexican two escudo from the 1715 shipwrecks, which would equal or exceed the quality and detail of the coin under discussion here. It may also prove to be that this coin may be the best example of a Mexican two escudo dated 1714 that can be documented, from any source.

Do other Mexican two escudos from the 1715 fleet wrecks, of a similar quality and detail as the coin discussed here exist? Possibly. If so, it can only be hoped that the owners of these coins would allow them to be documented and recorded so that a more complete numismatic and archaeological history of the 1715 fleet wrecks might be established.

As to the matter of Royals, two or possibly three Mexican two escudo Royals from the 1715 period, and exceeding the quality and detail of the coin under discussion here, do exist, although there is no record of their source of origin, and none of them bear the date 1714. Could they have originated from the 1715 fleet wrecks? Possibly, and in several ways.

First, they could have been recovered by metal detectorists from the beachfronts, which parallel the wreck sites of the 1715 fleet. Many thousands of 1715 fleet coins have been recovered in this manner. Secondly, these coins could have been removed from one or more of the 1715 wreck sites illegally and thus not properly documented. While the sites are monitored closely for such illegal activities, it is known that illegal discoveries have been made.

Another possibility is that these Royals were a part of pre-existing collections. While all of the gold coin Royals the author knows of from the 1715 period, are documented as having come from the 1715 wrecks, with the exception of the 2 or 3 Mexican two escudo Royals mentioned above, it is a possibility that these coins were simply passed down from the time they were minted and were not recovered from any shipwreck.

Maybe those more closely associated with these 2 or 3 Mexican two escudo Royals will come forward in the future and provide a more detailed history of their source of origin.

Lastly, the discovery of this coin, along with other discoveries of the recent past, clearly demonstrates the ongoing potential of the 1715 Spanish Plate Fleet shipwrecks to provide us with new and unique discoveries of historical and archaeological importance, even after so many years of excavation and recovery have taken place. Through careful excavation and documentation we would hope to continue to add to the expanding body of knowledge to be derived from the 1715 Spanish Plate Fleet shipwrecks.

The following photographs are described in the order in which they appear. They were selected as representative examples of the highest quality and most detailed specimens depicted among the 88 photographs of the Mexican two escudo coins provided by the State of Florida from their collection. They provide a basis for comparison with the coin which is the subject of this report.

There were a number of other coins in the photographs the State provided that were of a similar quality and detail, which might have been used for comparison purposes.

1. Coin #47807, Mel Fisher Center-This coin is described within the text of the report.
    

2. Coin #11.00201, State of Florida Collection-A Mexican two escudo dated 1714. The reverse side of this coin has a full and well struck but off center cross. About three quarters of the tressure surrounding the cross is present. A partial border legend is present consisting of the last letter M of HISPANIARVM, and the INDIA of INDIARVM.
    
   On the obverse of this coin the shield is about three quarters present and well struck. There is a full and crisp crown and a Roman numeral two denomination mark, which is weak but readable. The OM, Mexico City mintmark is present and well struck. The assayer initial J is present but weak. The full date of 1714 is present, however the 17 is weak. No portion of the border legend is present.
    

3. Coin #11.00204, State of Florida Collection-A Mexican two escudo dated
   1714. The reverse side of this coin has a full and well struck cross. Full
   tressure surrounding the cross is present. A partial border legend is present
   consisting of INDIARVM, well struck with the exception of the last letter M,
   which is weak but readable.
   
   On the obverse of this coin the shield is full and well struck. The crown is
   about one third present, and there is a clear Roman numeral two denomination mark. The OM, Mexico City mint mark, and the assayer initial
   J are present and well struck. The full date of 1714 is present in a weak but readable state. No portion of the border legend is present.
    

4. Coin #11.00210, State of Florida Collection-A Mexican two escudo dated
   1714. The reverse side of this coin has a full cross present. Partial tressure surrounding the cross is present. A partial border legend is present consisting of the letters IARVM, with the I being weak but readable. This lettering could be from either HISPANIARVM or INDIARVM. However, it appears that in most of the examples observed that it is the INDIARVM, or some portion thereof, that most frequently appears.
   
   On the obverse of this coin the shield is nearly full, with a small portion of the bottom being weak but readable. The bottom of the crown is only faintly present, and there is a clear and deeply struck Roman numeral two denomination mark. The OM, Mexico City mint mark and the assayer initial J are present and deeply struck. The full date of 1714 is present and well struck, although only half of the 4 appears. The letter G, in the border legend, is present.