Mexico: Ferdinand VII gold 8 Escudos 1813Ga-MR,...

Description

Exceedingly Rare 1813Ga 8 Escudos

Ferdinand VII gold 8 Escudos 1813Ga-MR, KM162, Calico 1202. Son of Charles IV, Ferdinand ascended to power in 1808 during the Napoleonic occupations. Two years earlier, after the passing of his first wife Marie Antoniette of Naples, Ferdinand VII wrote a letter to Napoleon asking for one of his nieces in marriage. The letter was discovered and infuriated his father, King Charles IV, who had his son arrested. The invasion by Napoleon of the Iberian Peninsula created such a popular fury that Charles was compelled to abdicate in favor of his jailed son Ferdinand. During the five years that followed, and after rounds of negotiations and threats, Ferdinand signed the kingdom over to Napoleon. In 1814, Ferdinand returned to Madrid to finish a disastrous reign when Spain lost most of its American colonies. At the time of his ascension to the throne, there was only one mint in Spanish America, that of Mexico City, but with the start of the revolutionary movements of 1810, several provisional mints were established, including one in Nueva Galicia's capital city of Guadalajara. Opened in 1811, this mint seldom struck gold coins and as a result all of them are of great numismatic value. The specimen presented here is an extreme Mexican rarity. In Choice AU condition, with hints of dark orange and red toning, this coin and its unusual bust of King Ferdinand VI, will certainly be an outstanding addition to any collection.
From the Besalú Collection.

More information about Mexican Coins. See also: Mexico World Coin Nationality.



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