My first Cob coin

I realize that cobs are a "dime a dozen" on the east coast. Yet extremely rare on the west coast . After 40+ years of this (started in 1976-ish), I finally got my first cob.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the last countries to ever make cob style coins (versus "milled" style coins), were phasing them out in the 1740s to 1750s ? Another source I'm looking at says perhaps a final country or two had made that style up to perhaps the 1760s or even 1770s ?

But suffice it to say, very rare for CA. Which didn't even have a permanent European toe-hold till 1769 at the earliest. (Hence, not counting explorer stops.) And realistically speaking, the entire alta CA population of Europeans (non Indians) was still perhaps less than 1000 persons, prior to 1800-ish.

So while we do find reales here (rancho sites, travel stop sites, gold rush sites, etc...) those would tend to be those minted/circulated into the 1830s to 1850s, for example. So as you can see, it would be a needle in a hay-stack, date-wise, to get a cob minted, circulated, and brought to CA, at any sort of site you can think to be md'ing at.

A friend of mine found one on a beach, after severe storm erosion, near Carmel Mission in CA . That location dates to 1771 at the earliest. We have every reason to believe that was a period loss. But outside of that one, I know of only a few rumors of other cobs found in CA . Not counting jewelry (bezel mounted, or whatever).

I found this cob a few days ago. At a site that is under 1/2 mile of a location that had mid 1770s coming & goings. A little community associated with one of the nearby missions. However, that was not the reason we were hunting the site. The exact location is now nothing but urban sprawl. And we were there doing some "old town demolition hunting". Not expecting any coins this old.

Other coins that are surfacing for my buddies and I, have been 1839, at the earliest. Those include an 1839 seated dime, an 1849 Mexican reale, a large cent (1840s), etc..... And some other later seateds, scores of barber dimes, 100's of wheaties, V's, mercs, etc..... So the cob was a real fluke !

While I know it is real, yet I'm almost tempted to say it's a more contemporary curiosity pocket piece loss. The zone I found at it, was riddled with 1940s/50s wheaties, and some barbers at the oldest. However, I can not rule out a "period-loss". Since, as I say, we are under 1/2 mile from a point where settlers were known to be stopping at, as early as mid 1770s. *Technically* there is nothing to have stopped a cob from being in circulation as late as the 1770s, and getting up to alta Ca.

But very much a fluke. I have found over 100 reales here in CA. And a buddy of mine = north of 200 reales. And we've each been in locations dating to the 1770s influence. Yet .... never a cob between us. Some of our milled reales, mind you, have dated to the 1740 and 1750s. Meaning 30+ yrs. circulation before arriving here. It just stood to reason, because by the 1770s, cobs would have been pretty much petering out of circulation, eh ?


Yeah, man! The rarity of a find like that is what makes it so special. That's a mind-blowing eye-popping find, for sure. What a great find!

Skippy
 
I realize that cobs are a "dime a dozen" on the east coast...

Never heard of one, but being an east-coaster, I'll keep a casual eye out for one. Sounds like I'm bound to find them every other day. :)

Congrats! Looks nice to me!
 
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