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4 Reales 1669/6

#1838: 4 Reales 1669/6, PRS, Nuevo Reino. 11.808 grams / gramos. 

   

Obverse: quartered shield with arms of Castile and Leon in correct order.  Pomegranate at bottom of shield.  Reverse: Pillars with waves below.   Mintmark above the waves is unclear. Date 1669/6 reading downward to right pillars.  Assayer PRS reading upward to left of pillars. Assayer initials not listed in R/L or L/R. 

Spanish translation

Currently unique, this coin is unpublished in R/L and L/R.  The final digit of the date is unclear, it appears to be 9/6. If the date were 1666 we would expect that all three of the 6 characters to be made with the same punch.  The final character in the date here is from a different punch, and the leg of the 9 is longer than the leg of the 6.  It looks as though the final digit was a 9 punched upside down in the shape of a six and then rotated 180 ° and punched again.  Also, it seems to us that if the date were 1666 that the final digit would not have been punched upside down as the die sinker would not have had to switch punches, he could have just hammered the punch three times in a row.  If the date is not 1669/6 then it must be 1666/9 as the final digit contains both a six and a nine.

The assayer mark is PRS without the "O" which was generally used by Pedro Ramos.  We believe that the C & T listing type 91 number 436d (PRS 1666) and that both Cayón numbers 6955 (PRS 1666) and 6959 (PRS 1669) are all three references of the same coin illustrated here.  

Spanish Translation