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Famed 1818 Texas Jola Rarity Viceroyalty of New Spain-Texas. 1818 Half Real or Jola. Small Planchet.

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:10.00 USD Estimated At:NA
Famed 1818 Texas Jola Rarity Viceroyalty of New Spain-Texas. 1818 Half Real or Jola. Small Planchet.
SOLD
26,000.00USD+ (5,200.00) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2018 Mar 21 @ 15:30UTC-6 : CST/MDT
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Famed 1818 Texas Jola Rarity Viceroyalty of New Spain-Texas. 1818 Half Real or Jola. Small Planchet. Copper. Breen-1082, W-8540. VF-35 PCGS. The deep olive-brown surfaces are somewhat crusty in appearance, a good sign that this specimen has never been tampered with, never harshly cleaned, and never made too coppery in appearance by well-meaning collectors over the decades; pieces such as that are seen occasionally, but not so here. Obverse with J.A.G. at the top, 1818 at the bottom, ½ on its side in the center, numerator 1 close between G and 8 on right side, large spiked dentils nearly encircle the periphery. Otherwise unadorned reverse impressed with a hand-entered five-pointed star at center. (Some say it could be the first appearance of the Lone Star emblem of Texas, though American settlers were few and far between in New Spain prior to 1820. Perhaps it’s not so far-fetched to think that some far-thinking American with dreams of a free and independent state of Texas may have had some influence on the design of a Spanish colonial coin issued at the behest of a Spanish official and made material by a Spanish citizen – for this is numismatics, after all, and anything is possible.)
This sale presents a rare opportunity to acquire a jola in an altogether excellent state of preservation. The sale is also highly unusual in that there is an 1817-dated jola offered as well. It’s not a frequent occurrence to find a single jola in a public auction sale, and now resourceful bidders have the opportunity to take home two prizes, perhaps even as a pair to one tenacious bidder if he or she plans their strategy accordingly.
In 1818, the military lieutenant governor in San Antonio, Colonel Manuel Prado, gave orders that 8,000 copper half real pieces be produced for local commerce. The enterprise was undertaken by Jose Antonio de la Garza, a native-born San Antonio land owner and well-known Don. Though a paper trail existed for more than a century, it wasn’t until 1959 that teenager James J. Zotz, Jr., along with his dad and a brother, unearthed some 60 or so jolas along the bank of the San Antonio River and alerted the numismatic community to their existence.
PCGS Population: 1; 4 finer (AU-53 finest).
PCGS #661.



PCGS Coin Facts