1420 | Spanish Monarchy

Automatically generated translation

FERDINAND VII (1808-1833). 8 Escudos. (Au. 27.00g/37mm). 1824. Cuzco G. (Cal-2019-1745). Extremely Fine. Spectacular specimen with precious original shine. Up to now, it is the best coin that we know of minted at this mint despite the unspoilt blade on the reverse. Very rare like that.

The first opening of this Peruvian mint dates back to 1699. It was a brief opening, it was only operational for a couple of months, and it minted 1 and 2 Escudos in gold as the most significant pieces, which, curiously, were dated 1698, a year before its opening, and that probably tells us about the test character of these primitive and few pieces from Cuzco. After its closure, more than a century had to wait for it to reopen its doors with some mints already immersed in the process of independence of Peru. With all the machinery brought from the mint in Lima, the one in Cuzco began to work for the royalist side in mid-1824. It was another brief journey, lasting a few months, since in December of that same year these workshops were already minting currency for the royalist side. republican. Considering this piece as Spanish or Peruvian is a matter of debate. The problem resides, on the one hand, in the scant documentation that exists in this regard, and on the other, that during 1825, with Peru already independent, coins continued to be minted, both in silver and gold, maintaining the effigy of Fernando VII and without change the date of 1824. Some researchers point out that the change of assayer, Tomás Panizo Talamantes (T) for Agustín Gamarra (G) marks the beginning of the coins of free Peru. If we follow this theory, we would be facing a coin that, although of undoubted importance in Spanish viceregal history, is fully Peruvian.