| Description: |
130.00 grams, 21.1 x 76.8 x 6.7 mm. Arms, bar number, date, fineness, weight, assayer's
stamps / globe. 23 karats. 4 oncas, 4 oitavas, 24 grao (4 ounces, 4 eighths, 24 grains in
the Portuguese system; 1 Portuguese pound = 459 grams instead of 454). Medium gold,
remarkable lustre on both sides of circular Sabara punch. Marks mostly bold, though TOQUE
(fineness) is somewhat indistinct. Usual natural depressions on bottom of bar from
cooling, filemarks and scrapes on bottom as made. An exceptionally attractive ingot. A
rare and important type, issued as a circulating medium at Sabara, Minas Gerais between
1778 and 1833. Prober's authoritative Circulacao do oura em po e em barras no Brasil,
1941, lists a grand total of 138 Brazilian bars, of which about 80 are this type. This is
the only 1805 Sabara bar listed by Prober, making this ingot possibly unique. In terms of
size, this must stand among the largest known of the entire type, as most are a little
over 1 onca and pieces over 3 oncas are extremely rare. A famous and desirable New World
type, typically present only when great collections are sold. This particular piece has an
excellent provenance, including three magnificent cabinets. ($10,000-20,000)Beyond Prober,
which presents a language problem for those not versed in Portuguese, we recommend a brief
article in the December, 1924 issue of The Numismatist by Moritz Wormser. The short but
informative piece illustrates a Villa Rica bar from the Jewett Collection (S.H. Chapman,
1909, realized an amazing $400 at the time) and describes the certificates which
originally accompanied these bars -- and enabled authorities to tax them. Wormser, founder
of the New Netherlands Coin Company and a lifelong collector of world coins, called the
bars "among the rarest items of South American numismatics" and noted
"these bars have always commanded a very high price."From J.C. Morgenthau and
Co. (Wayte Raymond)'s sale of the Waldo C. Newcomer collection, February 1935, Lot 114
(plated, $525); John H. Clapp collection; Clapp estate to Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr., 1942.
Plated in Krause-Mishler, listed in Prober's 1941 monograph.
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