Venezuela 1821 1/4 real
The first specimen was lot 41403 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Chicago, August 2024), where it sold for $6,000. The catalog description[1] noted,
"The Extremely Rare Sunface Variety, VENEZUELA. Gran Colombia. 1/4 Real, 1821. NGC EF-45. EMO-3502 (Plate coin); cf. Stohr-13. Variety with sunface. This enigmatic Cuartillo, displaying a crude face in the center of the sun in place of the number "19", is of the HIGHEST RARITY and unlisted in any of the usual references. The legends side is also rather unusual, lacking the superscript "A" above the "Z" in "VENEZ". Only 5-7 examples are known to exist, most being heavily worn, holed, and/or tooled. Incredibly, the present piece lacks any defect. Both sides feature clear, full detail with limited signs of use. This offering presents specialists in Venezuelan issues an exceptional opportunity that is unlikely to reappear for years to come.
Various theories abound attempting to contextualize and explain the existence of this Cuartillo. Though it bears a close resemblance to the 1821 and 1822 Cuartillos struck in Caracas, this variety differs stylistically and in its metal composition, meaning it may not have been produced at that mint. The high silver content, superior to the Caracas issue, also seems to rule out the coin being a contemporary counterfeit. Documentation exists showing that the Venezuelan general Juan Bautista Arismendi, based on the island of Margarita, requested an emission of silver Cuartillos from Simon Bolivar. As this request appears to have gone unanswered, one hypothesis suggests that Arismendi produced this issue himself to address the shortages of circulating coinage on Margarita and other areas of eastern Venezuela. Regardless of the true reason for its existence, this extraordinarily rare little coin has long intrigued collectors, who sometimes liken the crude facial details of the sun to some kind of insect. On this sharp specimen, it is clearly shown to be a face. From the EMO Collection."
The second specimen was lot 41406 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Chicago, August 2024), where it sold for $1,440. The catalog description[1] noted, "VENEZUELA. Gran Colombia. 1/4 Real, 1821. Caracas Mint. NGC AU-53. EMO-3507.1 (Plate coin); Stohr-13B. Variety with dot between "1" and "9". An especially handsome example of this RARE issue due to its sharp well-centered strike and elegant cabinet tone. Fully detailed and problem-free, the coin emits an understated lustrous sheen. From the EMO Collection."
Recorded mintage: 90,000.
Specification: 0.84 g, 0.500 fine silver, 11.5-15.0 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-C31; Restrepo-143.1.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, August 2024 Global Showcase Auction, World & Ancient Coins, featuring The Emilio M. Ortiz Collection, The Richard Margolis Collection and The Rutherford Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
- Stohr, Tomas, El Circulante en la Capitania General de Venezuela, Caracas, Banco Central de Venezuela, 1998.
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