João V gold 12800 Reis (Dobra) 1729-B XF (Engraved Devices), Bahia mint, KM141 (Rare), LMB-100, Guimaraes-1729-2a. Second shield. Fleur-de-Lis over diagonal edge. 28.80gm. The scarcest date of the type, presenting a sound strike with well-defined motifs. A mark at the top of the shield may indicate a plug, possibly clarifying part of the reason why a past owner would have smoothed out the surfaces and reengraved the devices in order to make the reworked area blend in with the rest of the coin. Since gold was scarce in the Bahia region of Brazil, most of the 12800 Reis were struck at the Minas Gerais mint, and to a lesser extent, the Rio mint; as a consequence, Bahia-minted Dobras are considered the rarest of this 12800 Reis type. Additionally, coins minted in Bahia were typically crude, both as a result of the preparation of the dies and the striking process itself, culminating in the immense difficult of acquiring a problem-free example. That being said, this extremely elusive issue may be regarded as one of the keys of the Bahia mint, being only the third example we have located coming to auction in the last 20 years, with the AU Details RLM piece (also repaired) being the sole specimen yet graded. From the Petropolis Collection, Part I

HID09801242017

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