CHILE FERDINAND VII SILVER 8 REALES – 1811 So FJ IMAGINARY PORTRAIT ISSUE – AU 58 SUPERB IRIDESCENT EX GRUNDY PIECE LATIN AMERICAN WORLD COIN (Inv. 21560)

$7,500.00

21560. CHILE. FERDINAND VII.
Silver 8 Reales, 1811 So FJ, 40 mm. Santiago mint, with the “Imaginary Portrait” of the king.
KM 75; Calicó 1404; Elizondo 68.
Ex Grundy Collection; Ex Jascha Heifetz Collection, Superior Galleries, 12/9/1989, Lot 642.
NGC AU 58, a stunning specimen approaching mint state, with glossy surfaces animated by superb peacock blue and violet toning.

In the aftermath of the Tumult of Aranjuez, a popular uprising against Spanish Prime Minister  Manuel Godoy and King Charles IV on 17–19 March 1808, Godoy was removed from office and Charles IV abdicated in favor of his son Ferdinand VII. The new king’s reign lasted only until May 6 of 1808, when Napoleon, who had previously pretended to be an ally of the Spanish monarchy, forced Ferdinand to abdicate and gave the throne of Spain to his own brother, Joseph Bonaparte. Many of the Spanish elites accepted Joseph Bonaparte, but his accession sparked violent popular opposition in Spain and across the wider Spanish empire, which developed into the bloody Peninsular War (1808–1814). From the perspective of the Spanish people, Ferdinand VII was still the legitimate king, although Napoleon kept him a prisoner in France. He was also recognized by the British in 1809 after Spanish rebels displayed their ability to stand up to French forces occupying their country. Spanish mints—even those located in the New World, like Santiago in Chile—that remained loyal to Ferdinand VII placed his “imagined” portrait on the coinage they produced despite his total inability to rule. This extremely attractive milled eight-reales coin is dated 1811, the year in which British, Portuguese, and Spanish forces began to slowly turn the tide against the French in Spain. It took three more years of financial expense and grinding warfare to finally overthrow Joseph Bonaparte and restore Ferdinand VII to the throne.