Contributed by Maine Historical Society
- MMN #105086
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Description
This Mexican Cob coin was part of a cache found at the mouth of the Bagaduce River, indicating the area's thriving trade in the 1600s. The coin depicted a crest and a coat of arms.
Present-day Castine was a contested area of overlapping Wabanaki, English, and French claims for centuries. In 1674, during a period of French control, Dutch privateers attacked the fort and took the Baron of Saint-Castin (Jean Vincent d’Abbadie) and others hostage for ransom. When Saint-Castin returned to Castine in 1677, he established a trading post among Wabanakis on the Bagaduce River, about six miles from the old fort.
In 1684 Chief Madockawando’s daughter, Pidianiske (baptized as Molly Mathilde), married Saint-Castin and solidified the alliance between the French and Penobscot. Family ties and reciprocal relations gave Saint-Castin a stronger footing among Wabanaki people than the English settlers and traders encroaching up the coast. There are many Penobscot descendants of Jean Vincent and Pidianske in Maine, including WWII combat medic Charles Shay and Penobscot tribal historian James Francis.
In 1840, the Grindle family found hundreds of coins buried on their farm. It is possible that this coin was part of a secret stash from Saint-Castin’s trading post.
About This Item
- Title: Mexican Eight Reales Cob coin, Castine, ca. 1690
- Creation Date: circa 1690
- Subject Date: 1690
- Location: Castine, Hancock County, ME
- Media: Silver
- Dimensions: 3.8 cm x 3.8 cm
- Local Code: A00-52-16
- Object Type: Physical Object
Cross Reference Searches
Standardized Subject Headings
- Abenaki Indians--History--17th century
- Acadia -- History
- Indians of North America
- Indians of North America--Maine
- Maine--History--Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
- Native Americans--Maine
- Penobscot Indian Nation
- Penobscots
- St. Castin, Jean Vincent d'Abbadie, baron de, 1652-1707
- Trading posts--Maine--Castine
- Wabanaki Indians
People
Other Keywords
For more information about this item, contact:
Maine Historical Society485 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
(207) 774-1822 x230
Website
Use of this Item is not restricted by copyright and/or related rights, but the holding organization is contractually obligated to limit use. For more information, please contact the contributing organization. However, watermarked Maine Memory Network images may be used for educational purposes.
More to Consider
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Portuguese 100 Reis coin, John IV, Castine, ca. 1649
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Potosi (Bolivian) Two Reales Cob coin, Castine, ca. 1738
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Massachusetts Bay Colony Pine Tree Sixpence coin, Castine, ca. 1671
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French four sols coin, Louis XIV, Castine, 1677
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Spanish colonial two Reales Cob coin, Castine, ca. 1700
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Bolivian Two Reales Cob coin, Castine, 1769
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Peruvian Eight Reales Cob Coin, Castine, 1659
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French ecu coin, Louis XIII, Castine, 1652
Item 105082
Dutch lion daalder coin, Castine, 1641
Item 105083
Columbian eight reales cob coin, Castine, 1657
Item 105084
Dutch three guilder (gulden) coin, Castine, 1682
Item 105092
German Schilling coin, Castine, 1667
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