Caracas 1820-BS 2 reales
This specimen is a silver two reales issued by the royalists in Caracas, Venezuela, during the wars of independence. "F7" stands for Ferdinand VII, king of Spain, and the design is inspired by the Bolivian cobs which circulated freely in the region. The fineness is not known but is likely to be lower than the standard .896 silver used at the major mints (Lima, Potosi, etc.). The SCWC records another variety (KM C6.1) with the lions and castles reversed and warns of numerous counterfeits.
The specimen shown was lot 273 in Aureo y Calicó sale 242 (Barcelona, March 2012), where it sold for 420 euros (about US$652 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"Fernando VII (1808-1833). 1820. Caracas. BS. 2 reales. Bella. Precioso color. Rara así. EBC-. (Ferdinand VII, 1808-33, two reales of 1820, Caracas mint, beautiful toning, extremely fine.)
Recorded mintage: 755,000.
Specification: 4.3-5.3 g, debased silver.
Catalog reference: Cayón-15557, KM C6.2, Cal. 848.
- Cayón, Adolfo, Clemente Cayón and Juan Cayón, Las Monedas Españolas, del Tremis al Euro: del 411 a Nuestros Dias, 2 volumes, Madrid: Cayón-Jano S.L., 2005.
- Calicó, Xavier, Numismática Española: Catálogo General con Precios de Todas las Monedas Españolas Acuñadas desde Los Reyes Católicos Hasta Juan Carlos I, 1474 a 2001, Barcelona: Aureo & Calicó, 2008.
- [1]Sisó, Teresa, Eduardo Domingo and Lluís Lalana, Selección de 500 Monedas, Medallas y Billetes, Barcelona: Aureo y Calicó Subastas, 2012.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Stohr, Tomas, El Circulante en la Capitania General de Venezuela, Caracas, Banco Central de Venezuela, 1998.
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