Guatemala 1763-G 1/2 real
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Shown is a 1763 ½ real from the Guatemala mint, of a type issued from 1760 to 1771. The Guatemala ½ real is the only example of Spanish colonial pillar coinage that omits the assayer's initial (should be P). Gilboy[1] notes this date as 'R' or rare. Mexican numismatists hotly debate which side of the coin constitutes the obverse. Gilboy[1] depicts the shield side as the obverse as that side bears the king's name. However, auction catalogs and dealer listings more frequently use the pillars and globes side as the obverse, as that side bears the date. The second specimen was lot 41059 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2026), where it sold for $4,560. The catalog description[2] noted, "GUATEMALA. 1/2 Real, 1763-G. Guatemala Mint. Charles III. NGC AU-58. Obverse die recycled from 1762. An EXTREME RARITY as a "Pillar" 1/2 Real of Guatemala in this state of preservation, and likely the finest example by far of this date, with all comparables we can find in low VF or below. Only two other examples appear to have been certified by NGC or PCGS, the first an NGC VF-25 and the second an NGC VG-8. The present piece is therefore an unprecedented survivor, the obverse fully Mint State with no trace of wear present and boldly lustrous surfaces, the reverse exhibiting only a touch of highpoint friction. A superb and exciting offering for collectors of Spanish Colonial RARITIES, with a combination of surfaces, eye appeal, and visible detail that are unlikely to be matched in the near future."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specifications: 1.62 g, 0.917 fine silver, 0.0498 oz ASW.
Catalog reference: Cayón-11050, G-05-11, KM-23; Cal-89; Yonaka-G05-63 (R2; four examples observed).
- Cayón, Adolfo, Clemente Cayón and Juan Cayón, Las Monedas Españolas, del Tremis al Euro: del 411 a Nuestros Dias, vol. 1, Madrid: Cayón-Jano S.L., 2005.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Gilboy, Frank F., The Milled Columnarios of Central and South America: Spanish American Pillar Coinage, 1732 to 1772, Regina, Saskatchewan: Prairie Wind Publishing, 1999.
- Harris, Robert P., Pillars & Portraits, San José, CA: Bonanza Press, 1968.
- 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.
- [2]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, January 2026 NYINC Showcase Auction, Ancient and World Coins, featuring the Kazmier Wysocki Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2025.
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