Guatemala (1894) peso KM-221

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Stack's Bowers 2023 ANA sale, lot 56313
SB823-56313r.jpg

This specimen was lot 56313 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Pittsburgh, PA, August 2023), where it sold for $3,600. The catalog description[1] noted, "GUATEMALA. Guatemala - Guatemala. Peso, 1894. Guatemala City Mint. PCGS AU-55; Countermark: Unc Details. 1/2 Real bifacial countermark on an 1894 Guatemala Peso, KM-210, Erroneously listed on the holder as a Heaton Mint issue on the holder, but the host coin is a Guatemala City issue. A VERY RARE host, unlisted in the Standard Catalog." The SCWC notes of this type, "By 1894, foreign coins had become so prevalent that on August 10, the government authorized their counter-stamping at the mint, with official ½ real dies of 1894, to legitimize their circulation." To this author, there are problems with this interpretation; the counterstamped coins are almost exclusively Chilean pesos or Peruvian soles and the surviving specimens are generally in good condition, suggesting that they were new or nearly new when they were counterstamped. Previous counterstamping operations in Guatemala had been of heavily worn coins. It is this author's surmise that the mint purchased the coins from Chile and Peru with the intention of counterstamping them and that the other, rare varieties were mixed in by accident.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 25 g, 0.900 fine silver.

Catalog reference: KM-221.

Source:

  • Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
  • Raymond, Wayte, The Coins of Central America, Silver and Copper, 1824-1940, New York: Wayte Raymond Inc., 1941.
  • Robinson, Charles, The Coins of Central America, 1733-1965, San Benito, TX: 1965.
  • Stickney, Brian, A Monetary History of Central America, New York: American Numismatic Society, 2017.
  • [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, August 2023 Global Showcase Auction, World & Ancient Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.

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