Bolivia 1952 3-1/2 gramos
This specimen was lot 71405 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, February 2023), where it sold for $216. The catalog description[1] noted, "BOLIVIA. 3-1/2 Gramos (5 Bolivianos), 1952. PCGS MS-65. A diminutive and attractive coin with yellow-gold coloring and satiny luster. From the David Sterling Collection." This token issue was accompanied by a seven, 14 and 35 gramos, all in gold. It bears the privy marks of the Paris mint and was likely struck there on contract. The revolution of 1952 overthrew the conservative regime and gave workers in Bolivia their first taste of power (among other things, the vote was granted to all citizens). Reforms could not stem the collapse of the tin mines and the military overthrew the regime in 1964.
Recorded mintage: 29,000.
Specification: 3.89 g, 0.900 fine gold.
Catalog reference: Fr-43; KMX-15.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Unusual World Coins, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2011.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, February 2023 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, featuring the David Sterling Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
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