Philip III/IV Contemporary Counterfeit Cob 8 Reales ND (1618-1634) Mo-D XF (Damaged) NGC, cf. Cal-Types 162 and 319 (for prototype). 35x35mm. 25.89gm. An intriguing and comparatively quite fine quality contemporary imitative issue for this type that frequently comes heavily encrusted and/or corroded. Seemingly displaying the mintmark-assayer Mo-O (known only for 8 Reales of Philip II), the overall style of the engraving appears much closer to the issues of Philip III or IV, suggesting a prototype with Mo-D is more plausible. Well-known from hoards recovered on the Arabian Peninsula, the fact that many of the surviving imitations carry the combination Mo-F may point to Philip III's reign as a likely period of production (see Kyle Ponterio's presentation "Cobs and the Maritime Silk Road: A Survey of Cobs Found in Yemen" given at the March 2019 US Mexican Numismatic Convention).

HID09801242017

© 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

To the auctioneer's website