Guatemala 1878-F 20 pesos
This specimen was lot 22086 in Heritage sale 3021 (New York, January 2013), where it sold for $29,375. The catalog description[1] noted, "Guatemala 1878 20 Peso Rarity. Republic gold 20 Pesos 1878 F, Head of Liberty left/Quetzal on scroll, within wreath, MS61 NGC. Bold strike, with full luster and light obverse handling marks. An extremely rare two-year type. and one of the classic Central America gold rarities. One of the finer surviving examples of this seldom offered issue. Ex: The Millennia Collection, Lot 1064." The only other gold twenty pesos piece struck in Guatemala was the Carrera bust design of 1869. A similar liberty head design appears on silver pesos of 1882-89 and gold five pesos of 1872-78.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 32.26 g, 0.900 fine gold, .933 troy oz AGW.
Catalog reference: KM 199, Fr-44.
- [1]Bierrenbach, Cristiano, Warren Tucker and David Michaels, Heritage World and Ancient Coins Auction 3021, featuring the Cecil Webster, Richard P. Ariagno and Elizabeth McPhall Charters Collection, Dallas: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2012.
- 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.
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