Mexico 1843-Ga MC 1/4 real

from Stack's Bowers October 2021 Collector's Choice sale, lot 71534

This specimen was lot 71534 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, October 2021), where it sold for $288. The catalog description^[1] noted, "MEXICO. 1/4 Real (Quartilla), 1843-Ga MC. Guadalajara Mint. NGC EF-40. A rather RARE and enticing minor, this wholesome specimen presents amber-gray toning and great originality." This type was struck at Guadalajara 1842-62. "Lion and castle" quarter reals were struck before independence but their issue ceased in 1821. State coppers were meant to fill the gap but their abusive overissue forced the central goverment to issue these tiny silver coins (face value 3¼¢) in an attempt to displace them. They were issued by the Chihuahua (mintmark "Ca", rare), Culiacan (mintmark "C", rare), Durango (mintmark "Do", not common), Guadalajara (mintmark "Ga", common), Guadalupe y Calvo (mintmark "GC", rare), Guanajuato (mintmark "Go", common), Mexico City (mintmark "Mo", common), San Luis Potosí (mintmark "SLPi", common) and Zacatecas (mintmark "Zs", common) mints. Many individual dates are very rare. Counterfeits exist. The conversion to decimal coinage in the 1860's terminated the denomination.

Recorded mintage: unknown but not common.

Specification: 0.845 g, 0.903 fine silver.

Catalog reference: KM-368.3.

Source:

• Buttrey, T. V., and Clyde Hubbard, A Guide Book of Mexican Coins, 1822 to date, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 1992.
• Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
• Utberg, Neil S., The Coins of Mexico, 1536-1963, San Antonio, TX, 1963.
• ^[1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The October 2021 Collector's Choice sale: World and Ancient Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2021.

Link to:

• 1843-C^A RG ¼ real
• 1843-D^O ¼ real
• 1843-G^A JG ¼ real
• 1843-G^O LR ¼ real
• 1843-M^O LR ¼ real
• 1843-SLP^I ¼ real
• 1843-G^A ½ real
• 1843-G^O ½ real
• 1843-P^I real
• 1843-D^O 2 reales
• 1843-G^A 2 reales
• 1843-G^A 4 reales
• 1843-G^O 4 reales
• 1843-P^I 4 reales
• 1843-C^A 8 reales
• 1843-D^O 8 reales
• 1843-G^A JG 8 reales
• 1843-G^A MC 8 reales
• 1843-G^O 8 reales
• 1843-M^O 8 reales
• 1843-P^I PS 8 reales
• 1843-P^I AM 8 reales
• 1843-Z^S 8 reales
• 1843-D^O ½ escudo
• 1843-M^O ½ escudo
• 1843-M^O escudo
• 1843-G^O 8 escudos
• 1844-G^A MC ¼ real
• Coins and currency dated 1843
• return to Mexican imperial and republican coinage, 1822-1905