Guatemala 1785-NG M 8 escudos
This specimen was lot 30293 in Heritage sale 3097 (New York, January 2022), where it sold for $60,000. The catalog description[1] noted,
"The Finest Certified Representative of This Key Guatemalan Date in Gold. Guatemala: Charles III gold 8 Escudos 1785 NG-M AU58 NGC, Nueva Guatemala mint. The rarest collectible date within this extremely short-lived series introduced after the reconstruction of the Nueva Guatemala mint following its destruction by an earthquake in 1773, falling just behind the essentially unobtainable 1787 first recorded in the 2019 edition of Calicó's Numismática Española. Moreover existing on the very cusp of Mint State certification, this coin represents only the second example yet certified by either major third-party grading service, with the other (an AU50) bringing 18,000 Euros when it last came to auction in Europe in October 2019. Embellished in watery reflectivity across its surfaces, that the coin on offer here comes so close to Mint State is truly exceptional, just minor wisping over the surfaces providing the only grade-limiting feature. What is particularly interesting about this coin, however, is that it appears to have been struck by different or reworked dies from the other known specimens, traces of reworking on each digit in the date bringing the 7 in line with the number 1 (the other pieces show the 7 lower), and the NG and M similarly raised slightly. As such, a selection that certainly act as a research piece for its future owner, and likely the nicest available to commerce."
All Guatemalan gold coins are rare. This type is less rare than its predecessors (being struck 1778, 1781, 1783 and 1785) but it is still priced at ten times a similar eight escudos from Colombia.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 27.07 g, 0.901 fine gold.
Catalog reference: Cayón-12967, KM 40, VQR-Unl., Chaves-32 var. (different die state), Cal-1912, Onza-672 (Extremely Rare; different die state).
- 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, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- Cayón, Adolfo, Clemente Cayón and Juan Cayón, Las Monedas Españolas, del Tremis al Euro: del 411 a Nuestros Dias, 2 volumes, Madrid: Cayón-Jano S.L., 2005.
- Calicó, Xavier, Numismática Española: Catálogo General con Precios de Todas las Monedas Españolas Acuñadas desde Los Reyes Católicos Hasta Felipe VI, 1474 a 2020, Barcelona: Aureo & Calicó, 2019.
- 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]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and Sam Spiegel, NYINC World Coins Platinum Night Auction 3097, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2021.
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