Costa Rica 1873-GW 20 pesos
This specimen was lot 3503 in Goldberg sale 62 (Beverly Hills, February 2010), where it sold for $24,150. The catalog description[1] noted, "Costa Rica. 20 Pesos, 1873-GW. Arms of the Republic above sprays. Reverse: Value expressed in numerals. One year type. Extremely Rare. This is only the second time in our entire career that we have handled this important rarity and it t could be a lifetime before another example appears on the market. NGC graded EF-40." This specimen was offered again as lot 1016 in Sincona Auction 100 (Zürich, October 2025), where it sold for 25,000 CHF (about US$37,680 including buyers' fees). This coin was struck not to the standard of a United States twenty dollar gold piece but a French hundred francs. It is probably not more than a pattern.
Recorded mintage: unknown but rare.
Specification: 32.25 g, 0.900 fine gold, .9334 troy oz AGW.
Catalog reference: Fr-17; KM-119.
- [1]Goldberg, Ira, and Larry Goldberg, Goldberg Sale 62: the Pre-Long Beach Sale, Beverly Hills: Goldberg Coins and Collectibles, 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.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Gurdian, Raul, Contribucion al Estudio de las Monedas de Costa Rica: 100 Años de Colon, 2a Ed., San José, Costa Rica, 1997.
- Stickney, Brian, A Monetary History of Central America, New York: American Numismatic Society, 2017.
Link to:
- 1867 5 pesos
- 1873 CINCO pesos
- 1873 5 pesos
- 1875 5 pesos
- Coins and currency dated 1873
- return to coins of Costa Rica