Description

Exquisitely Rare 1837 Chilean 8 Reales - Only the Second Example to Come to Auction in DecadesRepublic 8 Reales 1837 So-IJ MS61 NGC, Santiago mint, KM96.1 (Rare), Elizondo-99 (Very Rare), WR-Unl., Rosa-Unl., Medina-Unl., Fonrobert-Unl., Ulex-Unl., Guttag-Unl., MC-Unl. Mintage: 5,404. The first year of this only three-year type, and by far the key to the series despite its reportedly higher mintage than the 1840 as recorded by the Standard Catalog of World Coins. Entirely unrecorded in such early works as Rosa's Monetario Americana and Medina's Las monedas chilenas, this date was additional unrepresented in such famous Latin American collections as Fonrobert, Ulex, Guttag, Salbach, and Norweb, with only one other representative having come to light in our research into recent auction records (UBS Gold & Numismatics Auction 79, September 2008, Lot 6236), together with a single piece in the British Museum (BNK,EurC.1243). At present, the only example that has been certified by either NGC or PCGS, the offering contains a resolute stature to the strike, even the smallest details from the eagle's feathers to the hatching in the reverse shield finding full expression on a radiant flan. Ample evidence of die clashing abounds, most distinctively between the Condor's wings and under its chin, as well as above the R in the denomination. All-in-all a simply standout specimen, and likely one of only an exceedingly small number available to collectors.

Metal: Silver
Diameter: 39mm
Weight: 26.7g
ASW: 0.7743oz
Mintage: 5,404