Dominican Republic 1959 1/2 peso
This specimen was lot 71655 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, February 2023), where it sold for $216. The catalog description[1] noted, "DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. 1/2 Peso, 1959. Philadelphia Mint. NGC MS-65. This handsome Gem example delivers rich luster and escapes any signs of aggressive marking or handling." The specimen shown was struck for the Dominican Republic towards the end of the regime of Rafael Trujillo, among the more brutal of Latin America's long roll of bloodthirsty dictators. Soon after his assassination in 1961, the capital, which he had renamed Ciudad Trujillo, reverted to its former name, Santo Domingo. This type was struck 1937, 1944, 1947, 1951-52, 1959-61 and the module matches the United States silver half dollar.
Recorded mintage: 100,000.
Specification: 12.5 g, 0.900 fine silver, reeded edge, 30.5 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-21.
- Byrne, Ray, Coins and Tokens of the Caribees, Decatur, IL: Jess Peters, Inc., 1975.
- Remick, Jerome H., and Alcedo Almanzar, The Coinage of the Dominican Republic, San Antonio, TX: no date (c. 1965).
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [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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