Nicaragua 1975 2000 cordobas
This specimen was lot 43778 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2019), where it sold for $1,020. The catalog description[1] noted, "NICARAGUA. 2000 Cordobas, 1975. NGC MS-66. Struck to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of U.S.A. independence with a mintage of 320 pieces. Premium for the grade with no visible marks or distracting haze or spots. While seldom seen, the last appearance at auction for an example in this MS-66 grade brought $1,527 in 2012." This was made and sold to commemorate the American bicentennial. It was one of a series of NCLT's (KM 33 thru KM 41) issued in 1975, probably struck in Italy. Some (KM 33, KM 34, KM 39) were intended for earthquake relief. The Managua earthquake of December 1972 (Richter scale 6.2) leveled the city center and killed 6,000 persons. Aid was sent to Nicaragua from many countries but its distribution was mismanaged and much of it was stolen by cronies of the dictator Somoza. Outrage at this malfeasance fed into the Nicaraguan revolution of 1979 which overthrew the regime.
1975 NCLT's:
- KM 33 (20 cordobas, earthquake, silver);
- KM 34 (50 cordobas, earthquake, silver);
- KM 35 (100 cordobas, Betsy Ross, silver);
- KM 36 (100 cordobas, earthquake, silver);
- 1975 100 cordobas, U. S. bicentennial, Betsy Ross
- KM 37 (200 cordobas, Pieta, gold);
- KM 38 (500 cordobas, church, gold);
- KM 39 (500 cordobas, earthquake, gold);
- KM 40 (1000 cordobas, liberty bell, gold);
- KM 41 (1000 cordobas, Betsy Ross, gold).
Recorded mintage: 320 + 100 proofs.
Specification: 19.2 g, 0.900 fine gold.
Catalog reference: Fr-2; KM-41.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- 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.
- [1]Ponterio, Richard, Kyle Ponterio, Matt Orsini and Cris Chatigny, The January 2019 NYINC Sale: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2018.
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