Argentina 1897 20 centavos
This specimen was lot 1266 in Sedwick sale 12 (Winter Park, FL, October 2012), where it sold for $342.20. The catalog description[1] noted, "Argentina, 20 centavos, 1897, encapsulated NGC MS 65, finest known specimen graded by NGC. Bold strike, light blue toning against muted luster, not a hint of wear anywhere." In 1881-83, Argentina experimented with a silver coinage (see KM 27) similar to that of Peru and Chile but abandoned it. This specimen features Oudiné's portrait of liberty, used on the twenty centavos from 1896 to 1942, when the rising price of nickel forced the Argentine government to switch to aluminum bronze. It is accompanied by a similar five and ten centavos coins. The last twenty centavos piece was struck in 1961. This type is very common in dealer junk boxes but is quite scarce in nice condition for a coin of such a low catalog value.
Recorded mintage: 5,263,000.
Specification: 4 g, copper-nickel, 21.5 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: Janson-53; KM-36.
- [1]Sedwick, Daniel F., Augi Garcia and Cori Sedwick Downing, Treasure Auction #12, Winter Park, FL: Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC, 2012.
- Cunietti-Ferrando, Arnaldo José, Monedas de la República Argentina, Asociación Numismática Argentina, Buenos Aires, 1965.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, 'Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Janson, Hector Carlos, La Moneda Circulante En El Territorio Argentino, 1574-2015, Buenos Aires, 2015.
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