THE GERBER COLLECTION
For even a dedicated and knowledgeable collector, Mexican coins, covering a period of over four hundred years, offer unlimited challenges: the reading and understanding of the difficult cob coinages, the richness of the Dos Mundos dates and denominations, the proliferation of Republican mints in the 19th Century, and overall the sheer numbers of varieties. In the real/escudo coinage struck between 1823 and 1872 almost two thousand combinations of mintmark, date, denomination and assayer's initials have been discovered, and that is without considering variations of style, or the hundreds of varieties created by reworked dies. Then there are the historically important intervals of the two empires of Iturbide and Maximilian. Of great importance were the complicated coinages of the period of Revolution from Spain, 1810-1821, both loyalist and insurgent; and again in the disturbed years following the revolt against the regime of Diaz beginning in 1910. The first revolutionary period was characterized largely by local imitation or re-evaluation of colonial coin; the second, by the creation of completely new kinds of coinage. Finally there was the local small change of the late 18th and 19th century, whether struck by the several states, or produced privately.
This was the rich numismatic world to which Pablo Gerber dedicated almost a decade of his life. This is a brief period for what he accomplished, buying and trading both in Mexico and the United States, creating a vast and varied collection ranging from the beginnings of Mexican Coinage in the 16th century to his own day. There are inevitable gaps: his early and unexpected death left some corners of the collection incomplete. But he had seized the opportunity to acquire material of the greatest rarity and importance. In many regards, the collection rivals and outranks the important Munoz and Norweb collections, sold in 1978-1982 and 1985.
Undoubtedly, the most significant of Pablo Gerber's many sources were the three auctions of 1970-71 in which Dr. Pradeau's great collection was dispersed. Many of Pablo Gerber's most interesting coins can be traced back to that collection, where they had been used in the creation and illustration of Pradeau's most important studies, the two works entitled Historia numismatica de Mexico, for the colonial period and for the Republic.
The first sale of the Pablo Gerber collection includes the whole of the colonial material, the coins of the empires of Iturbide and Maximilian, medals of colonial times and of Iturbide, and the rich Republican gold to 1905. As one indication of the scope of the collection, the Republican coins number half again as many as the total of the Munoz and Norweb sales together.
The second sale, scheduled for June, 1996, will include the magnificent series of Republican 8-Reales, the largest collection of Mexican patterns and trials ever offered for sale, and the spectacular Revolutionary coins of the 19th and 20th century.
Professor T.V. Buttrey
Spink America is grateful to Professor Buttrey for his invaluable assistance in the preparation of this catalogue.
CHARLES AND JOHANNA (1504-1516-1555)
COPPER COINS
4-Maravedis (4), undated, mint mark Mo below K right (2, both Cal.212, CC.2862), mint mark Mo below I (2, both Cal.210, CC.2862), good to fine (4)
Details
4-Maravedis (4), undated, mint mark Mo below K right (2, both Cal.212, CC.2862), mint mark Mo below I (2, both Cal.210, CC.2862), good to fine (4)