HISTORIC OLD COINS
PIECES-OF-EIGHT FROM THE WRECK OF
THE EL CAZADOR 
Few
coins can match the history and romance of the Piece-of-Eight. Commonly
known as the Spanish 8 Reales, or Spanish Milled Dollar, this large
silver coin was widely used throughout the Americas. Its wide
acceptance made it a favorite of both pirates and merchants. It was
used throughout the colonies before the American Revolution, and was
the basis of the United States Dollar. The coin continued to be legal
tender in the United States until 1857. These original Pieces-of-Eight
went down aboard the El Cazador in 1784 off the coast of
Louisiana. Some say that Spain's loss of the El
Cazador changed the course of history. Spain had gained control of New
Orleans and Louisiana from France by treaty in 1762, over objections of
the residents who had nothing to say in the matter. Following the
American Revolution there was increasing rebellion in the territory
caused by restrictions Spain placed on trade with the United States, a
deluge of unbacked paper currency, and the ideals of the American
Revolution. King Carlos III of Spain dispatched the brig of war El
Cazador, loaded with newly minted Pieces-of-Eight from the Mexico City
mint to New Orleans, in an effort to redeem the paper currency and
boost the local economy. Alas the ship was lost at sea. Perhaps it was
attacked by pirates or lost in a storm. The loss was devastating to
both Louisiana’s economy and Spain's ability to profit from the
territory. Further efforts by the Spanish Crown to sustain Louisiana
failed, and in 1800, Spain ceded Louisiana back to France in exchange
for some minor European considerations. Three years later France sold
Louisiana to the United States for $15 million dollars. The Louisiana
Purchase opened the floodgates of westward expansion for the young
United States.
The coins bear the bust of Spanish King Carlos (Charles) III one side
and the Spanish coat-of-arms between the Pillars of Hercules on the
other. The coins were struck at the historic Mexico City Mint, and were
on their way from Mexico to the then Spanish port of New Orleans when
the ship was lost at sea. The coins definitely show signs that they
have been underseas for over 200 years. Because of the way
the coins were positioned in the wreck, one side is relatively sharp,
while the other is heavily corroded. The coins have a readable date of
either 1782 or 1783. This is your chance to own a
genuine Piece-of-Eight from this important shipwreck.
Item
SP-8R-ELCAZ
PIECE OF EIGHT OF CARLOS III 1782-83, from El Cazador
Corroded
$125.00
SCARCE COINS OF
PORTUGUESE MALACCA
Portugal
took Malacca in 1511 and controlled it for the next 130 years, until it
was conquered by the Dutch East India Company. Today it is
part of Malaysia. The Malacca mint produced these tin
Dinheiro coins for use in the territory. John III (Joao III)
ruled Portugal from 1521 to 1557. He expanded Portugal’s colonization
of Brazil and Asia. He was called the “Grocer King” due to
his country’s rich profits from the spice trade. His tin
Dineiro features a Cross with the letters “ISMA” in the four quadrants,
which stood for Ioanes Senhor MalaccA, meaning struck for King John at
Malacca. The other side depicts an armillary sphere, which
was used in navigation. 
He
was succeeded by his young grandson, Sebastian I (Sebastio
I). Sebastian became king at age 3 in 1557.
Sebastian died in battle in a crusade against Morocco in 1578, before
marrying or producing any heirs. One side of his coin
features three arrows with the letters “BA”, which may mean “Bazaruco,
or bazaar money, indicating it was for local use. The other side has a
crude representation of an armillary sphere on the other.
Both coins are about 16mm to 18mm in diameter. They show
little wear, but are crudely struck.
Item
MALC-JOHN
PORTUGUESE MALACCA DINHIERO JOHN III 1521-1557 VF out
Item
MALC-SEB
PORTUGUESE MALACCA DINHIERO SEBASTIAN 1557-1578 VF $30.00
SCARCE COIN OF DEMAK
SULTANATE
The
Demak Sultanate was founded about 1475 by Sultan Pangeran al Patah,
also known as Raden Patah. He was of Javanese nobility and his mother
may have been a Chinese princess who had been exiled from China.
His Sultanate was the first Muslim state in Java.
He quickly expanded his Sultanate to include most of the
northern coast of Java and southern Sumatra. This was
an important step in bringing Islam to what is now Indonesia.
The Sultan ruled until his death in 1518. The Sultanate
lasted about another 30 years, until it collapsed in a dynastic
feud. The Sultanate prospered through trade in spices, rice
and its control over Javanese trading ports. This
Pitis of Sultan Pangeran al Patah is one of the few
affordable coins of the Demak Sultanate. The uniface tin coin
is approximately 19mm to 20mm in diameter and grades Very Fine.
Item
DEMAK
DEMAK SULTANATE, TIN PITIS, PANGERAN AL PATAH 1475-1518 VF $19.50
TIN PITIS FROM THE
SULTANATE OF
PALEMBANG
Palembang
is one of the oldest cities in Indonesia. It is located on
the Musi river on the island of Sumatra. The Sultanate of
Palembang was established in the early 17th century by Javanese nobles
fleeing from dynastic intrigues after the collapse of the Sultanate of Demak. It soon became the
one of the greatest agricultural and trade centers in the Malay
area. This undated tin Pitis was issued by the Sultanate of
Palembang between 1710 and 1778. The uniface coin has crude
Malay-Arabic inscriptions around a center hole.
Item
PALEMBANG
PALEMBANG TIN PITIS 1710-1778 (Millies 202) Fine-VF
$5.00
SILVER
COIN OF CHARLES V FROM BESANCON
Charles was the eldest son of Philip the Handsome and Joanna the
Mad. As heir to three of Europe’s leading dynasties: The
Hapsburgs, The House of Valois-Burgundy and the crown of Castile
& Aragon he ruled over much of Europe as well as the Spanish
colonies in the Americas and Asia. He stopped Suleyman the
Magnificent’s advance into Europe at the Siege of Vienna in
1529. In an effort to try to limit further religious wars
caused by the Protestant Reformation he encouraged the formation of the
Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the calling of the Council of Trent,
which attempted to reform the Catholic Church and repudiate
Protestantism. Charles abdicated the throne in 1555, dividing
his lands between his son, Phillip II,
who was given Spain, and his
brother Ferdinand, who was given the Hapsburg throne. In 1526
Charles granted the Free Imperial City of Besancon the right to issue
coins. At the time it was a French speaking city under nominal Hapsburg
rule. The city issued coins bearing the name and portrait of
Charles V until 1673. In 1674 French troops took the city and
it has since remained part of France. This silver coin,
called a Carlos is named after Charles. It has the Charles’s
portrait on the obverse and the cities arms on the reverse. The coins
date from about 1610 to 1622.
Item
BESANCON
BESANCON SILVER CARLOS 1610-1622 KM10 VG $39.95
THE MAN WHO SPARKED THE PROTESTANT
REFORMATION
Albrecht
von Brandenburg, coming from the powerful ruling Prussian family, was
appointed the archbishop of Magdeburg and administrator of the Diocese
of Halberstadt in 1513, at the young age of 23. The following
year he also became the Archbishop of Mainz. That position
carried considerable power temporal power as Archbishop of Mainz was
one of the seven Electors of the Holy Roman Empire, making him only
second in rank to the Emperor. His appointment to these
positions was contrary to Church law as he was not yet reached the
canonical age of 27 and one person could not hold more than single
diocese. However Albrecht was granted dispensations from Pope Leo X
after he made a large contribution to the Pope to help pay for the
rebuilding of St. Peter’s in Rome. Albrecht had borrowed that
money from Jakob Fugger. In order to repay Fugger, he was
granted permission by Pope Leo to sell indulgences, as long as half
proceeds went to the Pope. All this was too much for a German
monk named Martin Luther who driven to write his famous 95 Theses,
which he posted on the doors of the Wittenburg Church, thus starting
the Protestant Reformation. This silver Groschen of Albrecht
was minted by the Duchy of Prussia, which at that time was a vassal
state of the Kingdom of Poland. One side depicts Albrecht
along with the date and legends. The other side features and
Eagle with an “S” on its chest, signifying Sigismund I, King of Poland,
along with Albrecht’s abbreviated name and titles. The 23mm
silver coin is dated between 1532 and 1545.
Item
ALBRECHT PRUSSIA SILVER GROSCHEN, ALBRECHT
1532-1545 VF
$95.00
SILVER
COINS OF LEOPOLD THE HOGMOUTH
Leopold
I was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1658 to 1705. He had a
rather pronounced lower lip, possibly brought on by his fathers
marriage to his cousin. He was described as a cultivated man
of extreme ugliness, hence the name "The Hogmouth". As
Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (which was neither Holy, Roman, nor an
Empire) he ruled a vast territory including Austria, Hungary, Bohemia,
as well as parts of Germany. He claimed the throne of Spain, leading to
War of Spanish Succession. Leopold fought a number of wars
against the Turks and France. The engravers made no attempt
to hide his ugliness on the coins, hence his protruding Hapsburg jaw is
plainly visible on the coin. His coins tend to have a slight
curvature that was caused by the minting process which used "roller
dies" rather the coin being struck flat. We offer silver 15
Kreuzer coins from three of Leopold’s possession: Austria, Hungary and
Silesia. The reverses of the Austrian and Silesian
coins have the Austrian coat-of-arms featuring a crowned double headed
eagle. The Hungarian issues depict the Madonna and Child. The
coins date from 1660 to 1696 and are approximately 30mm in diameter.
They all feature a wonderfully ugly portrait of Leopold the Hogmouth.
Item
AT-LEO-15K AUSTRIA SILVER 15 KREUZER LEOPOLD
THE HOGMOUTH 1660-1696 F-VF out
Item
HU-LEO-15K HUNGARY SILVER 15 KREUZER LEOPOLD
THE HOGMOUTH 1660-1696 F-VF $64.00
Item
SIL-LEO-15K SILESIA SILVER 15 KREUZER LEOPOLD
THE HOGMOUTH 1660-1696 VG-F $69.50
OLD
COIN OF AUSTRIA
The
Imperial Coat-of-Arms of Austria is featured on the obverse 1851
Austrian 1 Kruezer. It was the first time the denomination
had been struck since 1816, and was one of the first coins of Emperor
Franz-Joseph I, Franz-Joseph reigned for almost 68 years,
until his death in 1916. During his reign Austria lost its
possessions in Italy in the Italian Wars of Independence in 1859 and
1866. Its defeat in the Austro-Prussian War in 1866 lead to
the unification of Germany under Prussia. After this rocky
beginning of his reign, a forty-eight year period of peace
then
prevailed in Austria until the start of World War I in 1914.
The reverse of the 23mm copper coin features the denomination and
date.
Item
AT-1KR AUSTRIA 1 KREUZER 1851
KM2185 VF
$3.00
100
YEAR OLD BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED MALDIVE COIN
This
Brilliant Uncirculated bronze 1 Larin was struck for the Maldive
Islands in 1913 by the Birmingham Mint. The 13mm coin has
Arabic
legends on both sides. The coin is in its original Brilliant
Uncirculated condition. It is an amazingly inexpensive coin
considering
its age and condition.
Item MV-1L
MALDIVE ISLANDS 1 LARIN, AH1331 = 1913AD KM41
BU
$5.00
FOR MORE HISTORICAL OLD COINS, PLEASE SEE:
AFGHANISTAN COINS
OLD COINS OF ANNAM
COINS OF
INDIA and PAKISTAN
COINS OF THE
MIDDLE EAST
2400 YEARS OF CHINESE COINS and
CURRENCY
COINS
OF DEAD NATIONS
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USA
Phone 1 805 489 8045
Fax 1 805 299 1818
email: orders@joelscoins.com
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YOU WOULD LIKE TO VISIT:
Few
coins can match the history and romance of the Piece-of-Eight. Commonly
known as the Spanish 8 Reales, or Spanish Milled Dollar, this large
silver coin was widely used throughout the Americas. Its wide
acceptance made it a favorite of both pirates and merchants. It was
used throughout the colonies before the American Revolution, and was
the basis of the United States Dollar. The coin continued to be legal
tender in the United States until 1857. These original Pieces-of-Eight
went down aboard the El Cazador in 1784 off the coast of
Louisiana. Some say that Spain's loss of the El
Cazador changed the course of history. Spain had gained control of New
Orleans and Louisiana from France by treaty in 1762, over objections of
the residents who had nothing to say in the matter. Following the
American Revolution there was increasing rebellion in the territory
caused by restrictions Spain placed on trade with the United States, a
deluge of unbacked paper currency, and the ideals of the American
Revolution. King Carlos III of Spain dispatched the brig of war El
Cazador, loaded with newly minted Pieces-of-Eight from the Mexico City
mint to New Orleans, in an effort to redeem the paper currency and
boost the local economy. Alas the ship was lost at sea. Perhaps it was
attacked by pirates or lost in a storm. The loss was devastating to
both Louisiana’s economy and Spain's ability to profit from the
territory. Further efforts by the Spanish Crown to sustain Louisiana
failed, and in 1800, Spain ceded Louisiana back to France in exchange
for some minor European considerations. Three years later France sold
Louisiana to the United States for $15 million dollars. The Louisiana
Purchase opened the floodgates of westward expansion for the young
United States.
Portugal
took Malacca in 1511 and controlled it for the next 130 years, until it
was conquered by the Dutch East India Company. Today it is
part of Malaysia. The Malacca mint produced these tin
Dinheiro coins for use in the territory. John III (Joao III)
ruled Portugal from 1521 to 1557. He expanded Portugal’s colonization
of Brazil and Asia. He was called the “Grocer King” due to
his country’s rich profits from the spice trade. His tin
Dineiro features a Cross with the letters “ISMA” in the four quadrants,
which stood for Ioanes Senhor MalaccA, meaning struck for King John at
Malacca. The other side depicts an armillary sphere, which
was used in navigation. 
He
was succeeded by his young grandson, Sebastian I (Sebastio
I). Sebastian became king at age 3 in 1557.
Sebastian died in battle in a crusade against Morocco in 1578, before
marrying or producing any heirs. One side of his coin
features three arrows with the letters “BA”, which may mean “Bazaruco,
or bazaar money, indicating it was for local use. The other side has a
crude representation of an armillary sphere on the other.
Both coins are about 16mm to 18mm in diameter. They show
little wear, but are crudely struck. 
The
Demak Sultanate was founded about 1475 by Sultan Pangeran al Patah,
also known as Raden Patah. He was of Javanese nobility and his mother
may have been a Chinese princess who had been exiled from China.
His Sultanate was the first Muslim state in Java.
He quickly expanded his Sultanate to include most of the
northern coast of Java and southern Sumatra. This was
an important step in bringing Islam to what is now Indonesia.
The Sultan ruled until his death in 1518. The Sultanate
lasted about another 30 years, until it collapsed in a dynastic
feud. The Sultanate prospered through trade in spices, rice
and its control over Javanese trading ports. This
Pitis of Sultan Pangeran al Patah is one of the few
affordable coins of the Demak Sultanate. The uniface tin coin
is approximately 19mm to 20mm in diameter and grades Very Fine.
Palembang
is one of the oldest cities in Indonesia. It is located on
the Musi river on the island of Sumatra. The Sultanate of
Palembang was established in the early 17th century by Javanese nobles
fleeing from dynastic intrigues after the collapse of the Sultanate of Demak. It soon became the
one of the greatest agricultural and trade centers in the Malay
area. This undated tin Pitis was issued by the Sultanate of
Palembang between 1710 and 1778. The uniface coin has crude
Malay-Arabic inscriptions around a center hole. 
Charles was the eldest son of Philip the Handsome and Joanna the
Mad. As heir to three of Europe’s leading dynasties: The
Hapsburgs, The House of Valois-Burgundy and the crown of Castile
& Aragon he ruled over much of Europe as well as the Spanish
colonies in the Americas and Asia. He stopped Suleyman the
Magnificent’s advance into Europe at the Siege of Vienna in
1529. In an effort to try to limit further religious wars
caused by the Protestant Reformation he encouraged the formation of the
Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the calling of the Council of Trent,
which attempted to reform the Catholic Church and repudiate
Protestantism. Charles abdicated the throne in 1555, dividing
his lands between his son, Phillip II,
who was given Spain, and his
brother Ferdinand, who was given the Hapsburg throne. In 1526
Charles granted the Free Imperial City of Besancon the right to issue
coins. At the time it was a French speaking city under nominal Hapsburg
rule. The city issued coins bearing the name and portrait of
Charles V until 1673. In 1674 French troops took the city and
it has since remained part of France. This silver coin,
called a Carlos is named after Charles. It has the Charles’s
portrait on the obverse and the cities arms on the reverse. The coins
date from about 1610 to 1622.
Albrecht
von Brandenburg, coming from the powerful ruling Prussian family, was
appointed the archbishop of Magdeburg and administrator of the Diocese
of Halberstadt in 1513, at the young age of 23. The following
year he also became the Archbishop of Mainz. That position
carried considerable power temporal power as Archbishop of Mainz was
one of the seven Electors of the Holy Roman Empire, making him only
second in rank to the Emperor. His appointment to these
positions was contrary to Church law as he was not yet reached the
canonical age of 27 and one person could not hold more than single
diocese. However Albrecht was granted dispensations from Pope Leo X
after he made a large contribution to the Pope to help pay for the
rebuilding of St. Peter’s in Rome. Albrecht had borrowed that
money from Jakob Fugger. In order to repay Fugger, he was
granted permission by Pope Leo to sell indulgences, as long as half
proceeds went to the Pope. All this was too much for a German
monk named Martin Luther who driven to write his famous 95 Theses,
which he posted on the doors of the Wittenburg Church, thus starting
the Protestant Reformation. This silver Groschen of Albrecht
was minted by the Duchy of Prussia, which at that time was a vassal
state of the Kingdom of Poland. One side depicts Albrecht
along with the date and legends. The other side features and
Eagle with an “S” on its chest, signifying Sigismund I, King of Poland,
along with Albrecht’s abbreviated name and titles. The 23mm
silver coin is dated between 1532 and 1545.
Leopold
I was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1658 to 1705. He had a
rather pronounced lower lip, possibly brought on by his fathers
marriage to his cousin. He was described as a cultivated man
of extreme ugliness, hence the name "The Hogmouth". As
Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (which was neither Holy, Roman, nor an
Empire) he ruled a vast territory including Austria, Hungary, Bohemia,
as well as parts of Germany. He claimed the throne of Spain, leading to
War of Spanish Succession. Leopold fought a number of wars
against the Turks and France. The engravers made no attempt
to hide his ugliness on the coins, hence his protruding Hapsburg jaw is
plainly visible on the coin. His coins tend to have a slight
curvature that was caused by the minting process which used "roller
dies" rather the coin being struck flat. We offer silver 15
Kreuzer coins from three of Leopold’s possession: Austria, Hungary and
Silesia. The reverses of the Austrian and Silesian
coins have the Austrian coat-of-arms featuring a crowned double headed
eagle. The Hungarian issues depict the Madonna and Child. The
coins date from 1660 to 1696 and are approximately 30mm in diameter.
They all feature a wonderfully ugly portrait of Leopold the Hogmouth. 
The
Imperial Coat-of-Arms of Austria is featured on the obverse 1851
Austrian 1 Kruezer. It was the first time the denomination
had been struck since 1816, and was one of the first coins of Emperor
Franz-Joseph I, Franz-Joseph reigned for almost 68 years,
until his death in 1916. During his reign Austria lost its
possessions in Italy in the Italian Wars of Independence in 1859 and
1866. Its defeat in the Austro-Prussian War in 1866 lead to
the unification of Germany under Prussia. After this rocky
beginning of his reign, a forty-eight year period of peace
then
prevailed in Austria until the start of World War I in 1914.
The reverse of the 23mm copper coin features the denomination and
date. 
This
Brilliant Uncirculated bronze 1 Larin was struck for the Maldive
Islands in 1913 by the Birmingham Mint. The 13mm coin has
Arabic
legends on both sides. The coin is in its original Brilliant
Uncirculated condition. It is an amazingly inexpensive coin
considering
its age and condition.