1654 Potosí 8 Reales Cob – Unknown Wreck (Likely 1654 Capitana)
Attributed to La Capitana · 1654
- Denomination
- 8 Reales / Piece of Eight
- Date
- 1654
- Mint
- Potosí
- Reign
- Philip IV of Spain
- Composition
- Silver
- Type
- Hand-struck Spanish colonial cob
- Provenance
- Attributed to the 1654 La Capitana shipwreck
- Documentation
- No original shipwreck COA or salvage documentation accompanies this coin
- Availability
- Single individual coin — one available
$950
- Authenticity Guaranteed
- Documented Provenance
- Collector Selected
Lot BFA-013
An exceptional 1654 Potosí 8 Reales silver cob, attributed to the famous La Capitana shipwreck, lost off the coast of Ecuador in 1654.
This coin was acquired and represented to us as originating from the Jesús María de la Limpia Concepción, better known as La Capitana. Its 1654 date, type, appearance, and characteristics are consistent with coins associated with the wreck. However, because this coin was acquired without original salvage documentation or a shipwreck certificate, its La Capitana provenance cannot be independently verified and it is therefore offered as an attributed shipwreck coin rather than one with documented provenance.
La Capitana was the flagship of Spain's South Sea Armada and was lost near the coast of present-day Ecuador in 1654 while transporting an enormous cargo of colonial silver.
This example is a large Potosí 8 Reales cob — the legendary Spanish “Piece of Eight.” Hand-struck during the reign of Philip IV, it represents the immense flow of silver through the Spanish Empire during the 17th century.
Provenance Disclaimer
The La Capitana attribution is based upon the provenance information provided when the coin was acquired and characteristics consistent with the attributed wreck. In the absence of original salvage documentation, Black Flag Antiquities does not guarantee the La Capitana shipwreck provenance as independently verified.
- 01
Acquired and represented as originating from the Jesús María de la Limpia Concepción (La Capitana), lost off the coast of Ecuador in 1654.
- 02
No original shipwreck certificate or salvage documentation accompanies the coin; the wreck association is attributed, not independently verified.
- 01
Guaranteed authentic as a period hand-struck Spanish colonial silver cob of the date and mint stated.
- 02
Shipwreck provenance is offered as attributed only and is expressly not guaranteed.
