João VI gold 4000 Reis 1820-(b) AU Details (Cleaned) PCGS, Bahia mint, KM327.3, LMB-581. Mintage: 4.374. This absolute rarity struck at the Bahia Mint is listed simply as "Rare" or "Extremely Rare" in nearly all references we have consulted: SCWC, Gomes, Salgado, Prober and others. Notably missing from Eliasberg, Norweb, and most importantly Carlos Costa's collection which now sits at the Banco Espirito Santo Museum. This survivor shows little to no signs of handling, with the usually crude Bahia-die features fully struck and sharp. Muted in color from decades-old cleaning, it has now peripherally toned. Old collector records on these Joao VI 4000 Reis issues note that they have been struck in "rose-gold" and "palladium-gold", this piece's light color indicating palladium gold, a fact corroborated by a percentage of palladium identified when scanned with XRF through the slab. No straight-grade examples are recorded by PCGS, with a mere 3 recorded by NGC. An MS62, the finest grade recorded, hammered $110,000 in 2012 (Heritage Auction #3120, Lot 23269), leading us to believe this piece with gather much interest. HID09801242017 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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