Morelos 1916 peso
This specimen was lot 73163 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, October 2025), where it sold for $36,000. The catalog description[1] noted, "MEXICO. Morelos. Copper Peso, 1916. NGC MS-63 Brown. Amongst the RAREST of all the Mexican Revolutionary types, this Peso in bronze provides the chance for a type that has not appeared on the market in many decades. We can only trace one example of this type in silver (GB-287) trading, realizing a hammer price of approximately $6,500 in 2014. This example provides razor sharp details, with the surfaces mostly a muted chocolate brown, with a few colorful highlights throughout. Given the absurd elusivity of the type, we would expect nothing short of frenetic bidding to acquire this example, as it may be decades before another one might show up." During the Revolution, the state of Morelos was the home turf of Emiliano Zapata and his forces and he rarely ventured outside it. His influence came mostly from his proximity to Mexico City. By 1916, most of the fighting was over. The remaining campaigns were Carranza's destruction of the Zapatistas in 1918, followed by Obregon's overthrow of Carranza in 1920. The anarchy which caused the local issues was dissipating.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: copper or silver.
Catalog reference: silver: KM-708; GB-288; copper: KM 708a, GB-287.
- Bailey, Don and Lois, Whitman Encyclopedia of Mexican Money, Volume 1, An Illustrated History of Mexican Coins and Currency, Atlanta: Whitman Publishing, 2014.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, October 2025 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, featuring the Kirk Menczer Collection of Republican Decimal Minors and the Richard August Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2025.
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