Chile 1858-So 50 centavos
This specimen was lot 71435 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, November 2022), where it sold for $900. The catalog description[1] noted, "CHILE. 50 Centavos, 1858-So. Santiago Mint. PCGS AU-55. An attractive example of this elegant type featuring a flying condor. The surfaces are deeply toned with subtle iridescence that flashes in the lustrous fields. The fine details are hardly touched, displaying minty sharpness. Minor friction marks on the surfaces are all that detract from this pleasing coin. From the Pat Johnson Collection." This fifty centavo piece was minted in Santiago, Chile, in 1853-62. An upright condor was adopted for 1862-67 (KM 134) with a lower relief used for 1867-72 (KM 139). This condor with outspread wings also appeared on half decimos and decimos and twenty centavos coins of the 1850's. The low relief contributed to a rather drab design which wore down rapidly in circulation.
Recorded mintage: 245,000.
Specification: 12.5 g, 0.900 fine silver, 30 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-128.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The November 2022 Collectors Choice Ancient & World Coins Auction, Featuring the Pat Johnson Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.
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