1813-PTS J Argentina Rio De La Plata 8 Reales (Ex. Revd. Charles Campbell)

Specifications:
26.5 to 27.06 g, .850 to .896 fine, .7793 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: unknown, as records were most likely destroyed when the mint was recaptured by Spanish crown forces
Catalog reference: KM 5

Details:
The 1813-PTS J Argentina (Río de la Plata) 8 reales, KM-5, is a one-year type, struck only in 1813 following the capture of Potosí by revolutionary forces under Manuel Belgrano. By decree of the General Assembly in Buenos Aires on April 13, 1813, the mint was authorized to strike the first silver and gold coinage of the emerging Argentine state, with specifications dispatched to Potosí shortly thereafter. The earliest silver crowns reached Buenos Aires by July 28, 1813, and production continued only until November, when royalist forces retook the city. Later issues using related designs, 1815 (KM-14) and 1826–1837 (KM-20, struck at La Rioja), are more available, underscoring the brief and fragile circumstances of the 1813 emission.

Referring to an 1826 8 Reales from Argentina featured in Rose's Chopmarks, Gullberg writes "Rose speculated that a ship stopping for water and stores may have stopped in Buenos Aires where the coin was picked up. The coin was light as compared to the Carolus dollar (0.7793 oz. of pure silver vs. 0,7980 oz. of pure silver for the Carolus) but it was obviously accepted by more than one merchant. I know of only one other, which was sold in Taipei in September, 2006, making it a very rare coin chopmarked. One collector searched for twentyyears for an example never finding one. As it appeared in the shroff handbook many more examples must have made their way to Asia; many must have been melted into sycee in the nineteenth century. Taiwanese called the coin the "head with sun shadow" or the "long face"."

This coin was featured on the cover of the December 2017 issue of The Chopmark News. I need to confirm this with Colin, but this appears to be the third known example (one other also dated 1813). Quite rare with Chopmarks and nice original condition make this coin a very special part of this collection. This coin was featured on the cover of the Chopmark News journal, December 2017, vol. 21, issue 3.

Notable chopmarks:

瑶 - yáo - jade, precious over
合 - hé - combine, join, close, suit

正 - zhèng - correct, straight, upright

Provenance:
From the collection formed by the late Revd. Charles Campbell
Dix Noonan Webb, London, Coins and Historical Medals September 13-15 2017 Sale, Session 1, Lot #174

Auction Description:
World Coins, ARGENTINA, Rio de la Plata, 8 Réales, 1813j, Potosí (KM. 5). Chopmarks on reverse, otherwise about very fine £100-150

Reverend Charles Thomas Campbell (1902-83) first took an interest in numismatics in the late 1930s by studying the history of religion through the evidence of ancient coins. On such coins, symbols represent the dominant faith or the choice of the rulers. Surviving paperwork points to the fact that his collection was largely formed during the 1940s, with the London dealer Bert Seaby the principal source. Revd. Campbell's numismatic interests extended beyond the ancient world and on retirement he became well known around Boston, giving talks to local societies about his collection. As a subscriber to Spink's Numismatic Circular and Seaby's Coin & Medal Bulletin, he kept up-to-date annotations of listings of similar pieces to those in his collection whenever they passed through the trade and his original envelopes with this information are sold with his coins and medals. He passed away in 1983 leaving this fascinating and broad-ranging collection to his grandchildren and the collection has been unavailable for study since that time.