1783 Bogota mint, 8 Escudos Gold "Doubloon" worth $16 at the time in the U.S.
Mintmark "NR" (Nuevo Reino), Assayer JJ.
Charles III of Spain. The largest gold coin minted by Spain.
Diameter: 37.5 mm.
Introduction to Spanish Colonial Colombian Coins
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1783 Bogota mint, 8 Escudos Gold "Doubloon" worth $16 at the time in the U.S. Mintmark "NR" (Nuevo Reino), Assayer JJ. Charles III of Spain. The largest gold coin minted by Spain. Diameter: 37.5 mm. |
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A similar coin was nailed to the mast of the whaling ship Pequod by Captain Ahab in Herman Melville's novel Moby Dick. Captain Ahab called it "an ounce of Spanish gold" and announced it would be given as a reward to the first man who sighted the great white whale. Such a coin had enormous purchasing power at the time. |
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1799 Bogota mint, 1/4 Real, worth 1/32 of a dollar (3 1/8 cents) at the time in the U.S.. Mintmark "NR" (Nuevo Reino). Smallest silver coin minted by Spain. Unlike all larger silver coins, this coin did not have the assayer's initials. Diameter: 11.5 mm. |
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Copyright © 2005 David W. Snow and the Willamette Coin Club