THE COLLECTION OF CUT AND COUNTERMARKED COINS FORMED BY THE LATE EDWARD ROEHRS (Part I) USA
Colonial New York
340
MEXICO, Philip IV, cob 8 Réales, Mexico City, assayer P [1634-65], with a pronounced plug, 21.00g/324.0 gr (Sedwick M18a; KM. 45). Surface corrosion due to salt water immersion and a large flan split, otherwise fair, extremely rare
£700-900
Provenance: Recovered from the wreck of HMS Feversham, early 1990s; Stack’s Auction (New York), 19 January 1999, lot 1190 (part).
This and the following two lots were recovered from the wreck of HMS Feversham, a fifth rate 32 gun frigate, which sank at Scatarie Island, off Cape Breton, on 7 October 1711, while on a mission to support the attempt to capture Quebec from the French which was later aborted. The coins recovered reveal a representative cross section of what was in circulation in colonial New York at the time. These coins were drawn from the New York Victualling Office of the British Treasury by the ship’s purser with a requisition signed by Capt. Paxton, commander of the Feversham, to pay for provisions. Most surprising was the high percentage of New England coinage from Massachusetts, mainly willow, oak and pine tree shillings and the Spanish-American ‘cobs’ that had been weight regulated by the insertion of plugs
341
VICEROYALTY OF PERU, Philip IV, cob 8 Réales, Potosí, assayer E [1652-65], with a large plug, 25.79g/398.0 gr (Sedwick P37a; KM. 21). Significant flan split and an attempted piercing, perhaps for another plug, otherwise about fine, extremely rare
£700-900
Provenance: Recovered from the wreck of HMS Feversham, early 1990s; Ponterio & Associates Auction 67, 5 February 1994, lot 1215
342
VICEROYALTY OF PERU, temp. Philip IV, cob 4 Réales, Potosí, with a small but pronounced plug, 11.86g/183.0 gr (cf. KM. 17ff). Coin fair but no trace of any legend, extremely rare
£300-400
Provenance: Recovered from the wreck of HMS Feversham, early 1990s; Stack’s Auction (New York), 19 January 1999, lot 1190 (part)
RF COUNTERMARK ISSUES
The simple countermark of RF raised within a rectangular indent has been given various attributions over the years. More recently there has been a strong consensus that this countermark is a modern concoction, but looking at a representative selection of specimens it becomes very clear that this is not necessarily the case. However, modern copies do exist in abundance (see the end of this section). The issue, such as it is, typically consists of U.S. silver and large cents and Spanish-American silver. These coins have seen extensive circulation after being countermarked, as opposed to the modern copies which appear on quite a variety of host coins and show no post- countermarking circulation wear. It is likely that this issue is of a private nature and more likely merchant related rather than for use in a plantation environment.
These lots are illustrated on our web site
www.dnw.co.uk
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