Venezuela 1822 1/4 real
This coin is a silver 1/4 real issued by the republicans in Caracas, Venezuela, after independence and during the time of unification under Gran Colombia. The number 19 in the center obverse refers to April 19, the day in 1810 that Venezuela declared independence and rebelled against the Spanish. The first specimen shown was lot 10657 in Ponterio sale 159 (Baltimore, April 2011) where it sold for $1,652. The catalog description noted,
"VENEZUELA. 1/4 Real, 1822-A. Very scarce in this quality. Lightly toned, lustrous. EXTREMELY FINE+."
The second specimen was lot 41411 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Chicago, August 2024), where it sold for $2,640. The catalog description[1] noted, "VENEZUELA. Gran Colombia. 1/4 Real, 1822. Caracas Mint. NGC AU-55. EMO-3508.5 (Plate coin). Variety without crossbar in denomination and with 8 thick rays, 16 short rays and 8 ball-tipped lines. Weight: 0.47 g. A RARE variety not listed by Tomas Stohr. This well-struck example has only light, even wear, displaying a thin veneer of tone on the high points with luster in the protected areas. An interesting variant no doubt destined for an advanced collector. From the EMO Collection."
Recorded mintage: 540,000.
Specification: 0.4-0.65 g, about 0.500 fine silver.
Catalog reference: KM C-31; Restrepo-143.2; ST-13-C31c.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Stohr, Tomas, El Circulante en la Capitania General de Venezuela, Caracas, Banco Central de Venezuela, 1998.
- [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.
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