Uruguay 1840 5 centesimos
This specimen was lot 21583 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Philadelphia, August 2018), where it sold for $3,600. The catalog description[1] noted,
"URUGUAY. 5 Centesimos, 1840. Montevideo Mint. NGC EF-40 BN. 6.48 gms. EXTREMELY RARE. Thick planchet. A premium example for the designation with little actual wear and slightly rough planchet, as all are. Although the regular 5 Centesimos 1840, very elusive in any preservation, is widely recognized as one of the key types of the Uruguayan series, it is rarely acknowledged that most of the known examples are struck to a much lighter standard than the one mandated by the decree of June 20, 1839 (4 adarmes or 7.17 grams). Typical weights of those examples are 5.2 to 5.5 grams, roughly 3/4 of the legal weight. However, a handful of examples struck from a single pair of dies of a clearly finer workmanship are also known that approach the official standard. Always struck on noticeably thicker planchets, the weights of the reported coins range from 6.3 to 6.85 grams. Their single pair of dies are easily identifiable, among other characteristics, by the extra bead between the "8" numeral in the date and the rim design. Correctly catalogued as a different subtype by Almeida, this historical issue is rated as R4 (5-6 known examples) by Silvera Antunez in the 2008 thorough update of his "Monetario Clasico Uruguayo". The stricter, heavy-weight standard and single pair of dies of finer workmanship points to a limited run of early trial pieces quickly replaced by the regular issue minted on thinner planchets from slightly cruder dies after realizing that the very limited technical capabilities of the original Montevideo mint had clearly been exceeded. It is undoubtedly the first issue struck at the Montevideo mint and thus of the utmost importance to the specialist."
This type was struck again in 1844 and 1855 at the lighter weight standard.
Recorded mintage: 1,500.
Specification: 4.25 g, copper, this specimen 6.48 g.
Catalog reference: KM-1var.; Silvera-1.1.2; Almeida-001.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Ponterio, Richard, Kyle Ponterio and Chris Chatigny, The August 2018 Philadelphia ANA Auction: World Coins and Selections from the El Dorado Collection of Colombian Coins, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2018.
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