In this category I will be publishing for the most part revised chapters from my monographs The Gold Cobs of Mexico (2014) and the Gold Cobs of El Peru (2015), which I am preparing for second editions by 2021. Significant ongoing archival work now warrants some important revisions. Some work on the Cartagena and Santa Fe mints in the Turrillo era (1621-35) may also appear here.
For reasons that remain unclear, with the arrival of the new tallador major (the famous Marquis of Altamira) at the beginning of 1711, the Mexico City mint began to experiment with novel designs for its gold coinage. From 1711 through 1713 novel ornate crosses and tressures paired with the Bourbon shield to create new designs [...]
I. In the spring of 1713 the War the Spanish Succession formally concluded with treaties signed at Utrecht. Communications and commerce between Spain and Mexico began to return to normal. Mexican viceroy Don Fernando de Alencastre, First Duke of Linares, permitted the first fleet since 1709 to sail in January (still with a French [...]
1. In the fall of 1710 the very wealthy Don Pedro Sanchez de Tagle, soon to be created the Second Marquis of Altamira, was in a celebratory mood. The Mexican virrey he detested was finally being replaced with a man much more sympathetic to the Tagle family. Don Pedro celebrated the departure of the [...]
1750 was the last year gold cobs were minted at Lima. Superintendente Morales had promised Spain to begin striking the new milled portrait escudos in 1751, and no new cob dies were authorized or prepared for 1751. In July 1752 Morales reported he had managed to strike nearly 14,000 marcos of [...]
On August 25th, 1696 Lima mint recorded its first delivery of gold coins. The amount that was delivered to mercader Joseph Marti was recorded as 32,979 dos escudos. Marti was not given 32, 979 two escudos coins, but gold coins in all denominations worth 32,979 dos escudos (the equivalent of 131, 916 pesos). Capt. [...]
