Venezuela 1876-A 20 centavos
This specimen was lot 2387 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2022), where it did not sell. The catalog description[1] noted, "VENEZUELA. 20 Centavos, 1876-A. Paris Mint. NGC AU Details--Surface Hairlines. The final date of a RARE two-year issue. Nearly fully detailed with significant luster and traces of light hairlines over the surfaces. Among the best detailed examples we have seen come too market with two Mint State examples that appeared in Europe in 2010 being the only exceptions. An exciting opportunity for the detail-focused collector as such. The 20 Centavos under the 'Venezolano' monetary system was essentially an equivalent of a Spanish Peseta. From the Centuria Collection." Venezuela first attempted a decimal coinage in the 1840's with the introduction of copper ¼, ½ and one centavos struck in England. Another reform was tried 1873-76 with 100 centavos = one venezolano; this twenty centavos was part of that issue. This was abandoned in 1879 with a new issue more closely matching the system of the Latin Monetary Union, with one bolivar = one French franc. That system obtained until the end of silver coinage in the 1960's.
Recorded mintage: 136,000.
Specification: 5 g, 0.835 fine silver, 23 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-Y14; Stohr-34.
- 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, The 2022 NYINC Sale: World and Ancient Coins, featuring the Mark and Lottie Salton Collection and the Pat Johnson Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2021.
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