Panama 1977-FM 100 balboas
This specimen was lot 71852 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, October 2021), where it sold for $1,080. The catalog description[1] noted, "PANAMA. 100 Balboas, 1977-FM. Franklin Mint. NGC MS-69 Deep Prooflike. 500th Anniversary of the Birth of Balboa. Uniformly mirrorlike across both fields and devices, this spectacular gold 100 Balboas, which is also the lowest mintage in this finish for the series, is practically flawless with no tone, haze, or fog." No gold coin has ever been struck for circulation in Panama. This denomination was first used for large gold commemoratives in 1975 and the Franklin Mint issued all of them until 1985. This type was struck 1975-77. Unfortunately, collecting Panamanian coins lost its popularity after the Franklin mint overissued proof sets and commemoratives in the 1970's and 1980's. For years, few Panamanian coins sold for more than melt.
Recorded mintage: 324 plus proofs.
Specification: 8.16 g, 0.900 fine gold, .236 troy oz AGW.
Catalog reference: Fr-1; KM-41.
- 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, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The June 2021 Collector's Choice sale: World and Ancient Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2021.
Link to:
- 1976-FM 100 balboas, 500th anniversary of the birth of Vasco Núñez de Balboa
- 1976-FM 500 balboas, 500th anniversary of the birth of Vasco Núñez de Balboa
- 1977-FM 20 balboas, 500th anniversary of the birth of Vasco Núñez de Balboa
- 1978-FM 500 balboas, 30th Anniversary, Organization of American States
- 1978-FM 100 balboas, "Peace and Progress"
- Coins and currency dated 1977