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Auction: 21007 - British and World Coins Autumn Auction
Lot: 222

Brazil, José I (1750-1777), 4,000 Reis, 1775, Lisbon crowned shield, rev. voided cross in tressure, edge straight grained, 8.06g, 6h (R.310; Gomes 63.07; LDMB 335; KM 171.1; Fb. 73), bright and lustrous, about extremely fine, with an illustrious 'Shipwreck' pedigree

provenance
Douro Cargo, Spink 118, 20-21 November 1996, lot 36


The RMS Douro was an iron-hulled steamship built in 1865 and licensed as a passenger liner to the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company. From 1869 it began operating the lucrative South American service between Southampton and Buenos Aires. Under contract she carried both mail and newspapers, but also gold and diamonds. At 22:45 on 1 April 1882 the Spanish steamer Yrurac Bat rammed the Douro causing two deep gashes to appear in Douro's starboard side. Abandon ship was declared and within 30 minutes the Douro had sunk into 450 metres of water. The Captain Ebenezer Kemp and five fellow officers went down with the ship, a further 53 lives were registered from the Yrurac. On 4 July 1995, Nigel Pickford and Sverker Hallstrom, an experienced marine salvage expert located the wreck of RMS Douro and in accordance with maritime law waited a year and one day before tendering the haul of over 1,700 coins recovered to Spink for auction in November 1996. The sale realised £1,546,000.

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Sold for
£800

Starting price
£300