Coins

New Page 1 SedwickCoins The Practical Book of Cobs is a reference book on Spanish colonial coins by Daniel Sedwick and Frank Sedwick. First published in 1987, the book has been re-released three times, most recently in a 20th Anniversary edition (4th edition) published in 2007 An essential guide and reference work for divers and shipwreck enthusiasts, this book offers information that is not readily available or only available after searching many reference works or auction catalogs. This book covers the mints, assayers, styles, and types of “treasure coins” from the period 1536 at the Mexico City Mint until 1773, the end of cob-type coins minted at the Potosí Mint in Bolivia. In addition it has a section that goes over each of the most famous treasure wrecks of all time including the Atocha, the Spanish 1715 Fleet and many others. Reviews: - "Dan Sedwick has produced a fourth edition of The Practical Book of Cobs. In it he has carefully revised and enlarged assayer descriptions and very importantly for any and all researchers, he explains the rationale for his conclusions. He's added a new section giving a list of fifty-five treasure ships and their cargoes and has compressed virtually every important fact known about cobs today into this well structured volume. It is well written—lucid and logical—and is a meaningful addition to cob coin literature that should be included in everyone's library. I wish that I could do as good a job as Dan has done." - Joe Lasser, The E-Sylum: Volume 10, Number 36, September 10, 2007, Article 2 - “This popular book has been out of print since 1995 and unavailable for a number of years now, so this [fourth] edition should be a most welcome addition to the market! Greatly expanded from the previous edition (more than 100 pages longer!), this 20th Anniversary Edition contains a long new section on the shipwrecks that have yielded cobs over the years, complete with a foldout map and specified bibliographies for each wreck. Also, the assayer section incorporates the latest research information, with specimen photos of most of the assayers (not separated into a photo section as before). The values in the back, of course, have been updated. What has not changed, however, is the appeal to both beginners and advanced collectors alike, as well as dealers and jewelers who work with cobs. The Practical Book of Cobs offers readers a look at the following topics: Historical background / Elements of design / Market values / Extensive bibliography / Complete ID of mint marks, assayers, and period / How cobs were made and used / Treasure Fleets and other shipwrecks that produced cobs / How to buy and sell, and how to spot counterfeits.” – Ernest Richards, PLUS VLTRA Newsletter: Enrada Publications, October 2007 · Bidding: Paperback, perfect bound, 8½" x 5½" | Pages: 254 · Edition: 4th edition (July 1, 2007) · Publisher: Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC, · Location: Winter Park, FL, USA · Language: English | Illustration: Illustrated throughout (b/w) · ISBN: 0982081804 | · ISBN-13: 9780982081808 What is a Cob coin? By reading The Practical Book of Cobs we understand that "cobs" are the original "treasure coins." Struck and trimmed by hand in the 1500s through 1700s at Spanish mints in Mexico, Peru, and Colombia (among others), silver and gold cobs are handsomely crude, nearly all with a cross as the central feature on one side and either a coat-of-arms (shield) or a tic-tac-toe-like "pillars and waves" on the other side. Silver cobs are known as "reales" and gold cobs are known as "escudos," with two 8 reales (about 27 grams each) equaling one escudo. Some cobs were struck with a date, and most show a mintmark and an initial or monogram for the assayer, the mint official who was responsible for weight and fineness. Size and shape were immaterial, which means that most cobs are far from round or uniform in thickness. Cobs were generally accepted as good currency all around the world, and were the exact coins pirates referred to as "pieces of eight" (8 reales) and "doubloons" (any gold cobs but originally 2 escudos). About the Authors: Daniel Frank Sedwick is a specialist in the colonial coinage of Spanish America as well as shipwreck coins and artifacts of all nations. Until early 1996, Daniel Frank Sedwick worked in partnership with the late Dr. Frank Sedwick, who became known as a pioneer in the field of Spanish colonial numismatics with his book The Practical Book of Cobs. The fourth (2007) and third (1995) editions of this well-known book were authored and co-authored by Daniel Frank Sedwick, who is also a contributing editor to The Numismatist (the monthly magazine of the American Numismatic Association) and the author of several articles. Sedwick is a member of the American Numismatic Association and Florida United Numismatists, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree (cum laude) from Duke University. Numismatic pioneer Frank Sedwick, Ph.D, was born in 1924 in Baltimore, MD, and earned degrees from Duke University, Stanford University and the University of Southern California. After a wartime stint in the Navy, Frank became a career professor of Spanish and Romance languages, which he taught at the Naval Academy, Ohio Wesleyan, Wisconsin-Milwaukee and finally Rollins College in Winter Park, FL. At Rollins, while earning royalties as the author of several standard textbooks in the field, he took the position of Director of Overseas Programs and made frequent visits to Spain and Colombia, where his interest in Latin American numismatics began, although coins had been his hobby since childhood. In 1981 Frank left academia forever and became a full-time coin dealer. At first his focus was modern Latin American coins, but soon he realized that there was a niche in cobs, which had not been properly researched for the average collector to understand and appreciate. Thus was born The Practical Book of Cobs (now in its 4th edition, 2007), which was perfectly timed to satisfy new cob collectors generated by the fabulous Atocha find by Mel Fisher in 1985. For well over a decade Frank was considered the authority on cobs, his main area being gold cobs from the 1715 Fleet, thousands of which went through his hands. In 1991 Frank authored his second numismatic book, The Gold Coinage of Gran Colombia, in order to update the existing references in his own area of collecting interest. Frank's collection of Colombian Republic gold coins is still one of the finest ever put together. Frank's son Daniel joined him in business after college in 1989, full time in 1991, after many summers of "interning" with him at the various ANA shows. In 1996, with plans to retire that same year, Frank died unexpectedly, leaving the business to his son. Daniel has continued the coin business and book authorship ever since. NOTE: No international shipping available at the moment. Contact us for more details for future availability. About Us: Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC is the world's premier specialist in the colonial coinage of Spanish America, shipwreck coins and artifacts of all nations. In addition to our Online Store, we sell coins and artifacts at various numismatic shows around the nation. Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC also has the honor of being the only auction company in the world specializing in authentic treasure. Our auction catalogs are accessible on the web and printed in a high-quality format with full-color illustrations for all lots. In the interest of continually updating our venues, we have decided to put a fraction of our inventory and consignments on eBay. Note: The items we are offering on eBay are only a small fraction of our inventory and consignments, which we generally bring to coin shows around the country (Long Beach, Baltimore, New York, Chicago, etc.). Therefore any and all inventory listed on eBay is subject to prior sale, in the rare case that we cannot remove an eBay listing right after an item is sold at a show. We will process any questions and orders during business hours, 9 am to 5 pm Eastern time, Monday through Friday (except government holidays), by email or phone. Terms and Policies: (1) Payment for our eBay items is to be made by PayPal only, and we can only ship to U.S. PayPal-confirmed addresses unless prior approval is given. (2) All shipments are made via the United States Postal Service (USPS), and Buyer pays for all shipping/handling/insurance costs as stated in the listings. (3) Shipments within the USA are insured and have a tracking or delivery confirmation number. Upon request we will provide the tracking number so you can track the status of your delivery (if it goes First Class insured, there is only an insurance number). In the event that you are not present at delivery, the USPS will leave a claim slip and you will need to present this slip at the Post Office to receive the shipment. As these slips are sometimes misplaced, please check with your Post Office first before contacting us about the status of your delivery. No international shipments will be made without prior approval. Shipping may take several days depending your location, and if international shipping is allowed on the listing it could take up 3-4 weeks, overseas shipments are by Registered Mail only, privately insured, with Customs declaration for full value of item(s). As each country has different importation laws, we cannot be responsible for Duty or any other Customs fees, which are the sole responsibility of the Buyer. (4) Combined shipping is available to save costs, but only upon request, so please inquire before buying the items. (5) Shipment to the Buyer will be made within 1 business day after payment has been received by us. (6) By placing an order from us on eBay, you have entered a legally binding contract to purchase the item(s). (7) Sales tax (6% + county surtax, if applicable) must be added to any items mailed to Florida addresses, so please calculate that into your total before you send payment. (8) Returns are granted only in cases of error in the description or dispute of authenticity. Any returned items must be received in the same condition as originally shipped and must be received back to us within 30 days after the buyer receives it. All items are guaranteed authentic. (9) Any reproduction of the text and/or images in this listing in whole or in part is strictly prohibited without the express permission of Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC. Affiliations, Memberships and Licenses: IAPN (International Association of Professional Numismatists) membership accepted June 22, 2010 ANA (American Numismatic Association) member #1114440, member since 1981 ANE (Asociación Numismática Española) members #6511 FUN (Florida United Numismatists) member #9104 member since 1981 NLG (Numismatic Literary Guild) | NI (Numismatics International) USMexNA (U.S. Mexican Numismatic Association) PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service) authorized dealer #734250 NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Corporation) authorized dealer #2700 Licensed Florida Auctioneer #AU3635, AB2592 (since 2007) Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC P.O. BOX 1964 | Winter Park, Florida 32790