1769 MO M 2 Reales PILLAR coin El Cazador Shipwreck Very Good Condition, RARE

Pricing & History

Sold for
Start Free Trial or Sign In to see what it's worth.
Sold Date
Source eBay

1769 MO M 2 Reales PILLAR coin El Cazador Shipwreck,Very Good Condition.RARE .2 Reales Pillar Coin from the El Cazador Spanish shipwreck.These "pillar-type" reale pieces went out of circulation in 1771, when Charles III redesigned the coin to feature his image. The two pillars on the obverse represent the Pillars of Hercules-the ancient name for the rock formations that flank the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, once thought to be the End of the World-and the two globes, the Old and New Worlds. The inscription utraque unum derives from a passage in 2 Ephesians in which St. Paul suggests that Jews and Gentiles are both one. The meaning here is that Spain and her colonies are one nation, under God, indivisible. The reverse of the "pillar-type" coin is the royal seal of Castille and Léon, represented by castles and lions. The pillar coins comprise less than 1 percent of the treasure found on El Cazador; pillar coins of this fineness are rarer still.On August 2, 1993 fifty miles off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico, a small fishing trawler discovered coins in their fishing net. At a depth of 100 meters they had uncovered the final resting place of the long lost Spanish brig, El Cazador, and its treasure.France, Spain and England ventured on long voyages to expand their empires from the 1600's to the 1800's and established colonies outside of their homelands. One of the ways to keep the new colony under control for the mother country was to command its currency. Usually the monarch or some other symbol of power from the initial country would be minted on these coins. The coins would also bear symbols and other devices that would tie the coin to that colony. The money would have some kind of fixed exchange rate with the mother country. Another way to keep the colony in line was to make the currency worth less than the money from the main country.No country was more successful in colonial coinage than Spain. Their colonial coins are easy to identify; they used the Pillars of Hercules and the crest of the ruling family on many of the colonial coins. Their coins had the richest content of precious metals of all the worlds' coins during the colonial period.There were twelve Spanish colonial mints: Mexico, Santo Domingo, Lima, La Plata, Potosi, Panama, Cartagena, Bogotá, Cuzco, Guatemala, Santiago, and Popayan. During Spain's almost 300 years of colonial rule the Spanish colonies produced a total of five different types of silver reales coins: pillar, shield, pillar and waves, milled pillar, and milled bust.Cob coins were minted at many Spanish Main Land and Spanish colonial New World mints. The crude coins, called "cobs" (from the Spanish word cabo), were hand-struck, irregularly shaped objects of various denominations in silver, copper, and gold. Cob-style coins are divided into two basic groups based on their obverse markings: the "pillars and waves-type" and the "shield-type." Their reverses typically bear a cross or a quartered shield with the arms of Castile and Leon. Weight and fineness were primary considerations in coin production: after the metal was smelted, purified, and alloyed (this last to prevent brittleness), large strips were measured for proper thickness and cut into basic sizes corresponding to their denominations. The silver reales coins came in the denominations of: 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2, 4, and 8 reales. Further snipping and chiseling produced the requisite weight at the expense of the coin's visual integrity, and later unofficial alterations to the cobs were rampant. Many of these coins were circulated in the Spanish colonies, but others were shipped to Spain to be melted down and refashioned as jewelry or coins of the realm.On August 2, 1993 fifty miles off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico, a small fishing trawler discovered coins in their fishing net. At a depth of 100 meters they had uncovered the final resting place of the long lost Spanish brig, El Cazador, and its treasure of Spanish 8 reale coins.In the late 1700's, the Port of New Orleans in Louisiana was the center of the Spanish Louisiana territory which encompassed most of the center of North America. The Louisiana territory was suffering great economic difficulty because of the American Revolutionary War between the American colonists and the government of Britain. Vast quantities of near worthless paper currency were circulating in the territory.King Carlos III of Spain sent the Spanish ship El Cazador to Veracruz Mexico to take a large load of Spanish silver coins from Veracruz, to New Orleans to redeem the paper currency. El Cazador sailed from Veracruz on January 11, 1784. It disappeared in the Gulf of Mexico and no information was known about its fate until the fishing trawler found the coins in 1993.The largest quantity of coins recovered was the 8 reale, also known as the Spanish milled dollar, or the Piece of eight. The Spanish 8 reale coin was known all over the world in the 18th century and had become the first international trade coin. It was very common throughout the Americas and all over the Far East. It was by far the most common silver coin found in China. The Spanish 8 reale coin was legal tender in the United States until 1857. Formal salvage operations to recover the coins did not begin until 2002.On the coins obverse is a portrait of King Carlos III of Spain and the words; "DEI GRATIA" (by the grace of God). Under King Carlos' rule, the kingdom of Spain prospered and he was considered to be one of the most effective leaders of all the Bourbon Kings. Below the portrait is the year the coin was minted.The inscription on the reverse of the coin reads "HISPN.ET.IND.REX" (King of Spain and the Indies) followed by the Mexico City mintmark, the denomination 8R (8 reale), and the assayer's initials at the time of minting. The central coat of arms displays the crowned shield of Castile and Leon (Castle & Lion). The shield includes three crosses at its center which signifies the Holy Trinity, and a pomegranate in tribute to the Spanish city of Granada. To either side of the coat of arms stand the Pillars of Hercules with the motto "PLUS VLTRA" (more beyond) on ribbons .The pictures are of the exact item you will receive.ANA Platinum Member,# 3163853We ship within one business day.You may return anything you get from me for a complete refund including shipping both ways except on international orders.Visit My eBay Store: CAZ Foreign Coins,Banknotes,BooksOVER 20,000 POSITIVE FEEDBACKSeverything was as promised Buyer: Member id xzera ( Feedback Score Of 20 ) Jan-09-12 22:20 2lb CIRCULATED FOREIGN COINS,HEAVIER,LARGER,OLDER lot (#150724254429) US $22.50 View Item 2lb CIRCULATED FOREIGN COINS,HEAVIER,LARGER,OLDER lot Nice coin, tiny ***** Buyer: Member id artyanncat ( Feedback Score Of 350 ) Jan-09-12 21:53 Biblical Coin of The Magi,Bronze 35 BC-5 AD,Certificate of Authenticity & Folder (#190598060779) US $20.50 View Item Biblical Coin of The Magi,Bronze 35 BC-5 AD,Certificate of Authenticity & Folder Item received in good order in timely manner. Buyer: Member id driscoll30 ( Feedback Score Of 488 ) Jan-09-12 16:22 Dutch Silver Coin 1760, 2 Stuivers,KM-106.2 (#190605642197) US $19.58 View Item Dutch Silver Coin 1760, 2 Stuivers,KM-106.2 Arrived as described, Fast Shipping, Good Communication, Thanks. Buyer: Member id woodins ( Feedback Score Of 2330 ) Jan-09-12 14:30 5 sets of 25 DIFFERENT WORLD BANKNOTES,Mint Lot (#150723177358) US $29.99 View Item 5 sets of 25 DIFFERENT WORLD BANKNOTES,Mint Lot Arrived as described, Fast Shipping, Good Communication, Thanks. Buyer: Member id woodins ( Feedback Score Of 2330 ) Jan-09-12 14:30 100 Different World Banknotes,Uncirculated Foreign Lot (#190543399264) US $30.59 View Item 100 Different World Banknotes,Uncirculated Foreign Lot great ebay seller Buyer: Member id cashcompany ( Feedback Score Of 1047 ) Jan-09-12 12:46 German Zinc Coins of World War II, Albumn With Certificate (#190584098776) US $17.59 View Item German Zinc Coins of World War II, Albumn With Certificate great ebay seller!!!!!!!! Buyer: Member id cashcompany ( Feedback Score Of 1047 ) Jan-09-12 12:46 WWII Japanese Invasion Money,5 Banknotes,Album,Certificate,story (#190589284586) US $22.99 View Item WWII Japanese Invasion Money,5 Banknotes,Album,Certificate,story Thank you! I'm HAPPY. Nice coin. Buyer: Member id msaw5991 ( Feedback Score Of 23 ) Jan-09-12 12:31 Ancient Roman Constantine Coin,4th Century A.D with Certificate and Album (#150725530813) US $18.50 View Item Ancient Roman Constantine Coin,4th Century A.D with Certificate and AlbumIncrease sales. Improve feedback. Get Buyer Appreciation, FREE from Vendio! Double your traffic. Double your traffic. read more

Items in the Price Guide are obtained exclusively from licensors and partners solely for our members’ research needs.

Flag item for content or copyright

If this item contains incorrect or inappropriate information please contact us here to flag it for review.

If you are the originator/copyright holder of this photo/item and would prefer it be excluded from our community, contact us here for removal.