Venezuela 1877 2 1/2 centavos
Though Venezuela declared independence in 1810 and fully routed Spanish troops from the region by 1821, it was not until the dissolution of Gran Colombia in 1830 that Venezuela became fully a sovereign nation. The first republican coinage was denominated in centavos and reales. After the first coinage reform of 1871, the denomination real was abandoned in the transition to the decimal system, being replaced by venezolano, such that 100 centavos = one venezolano. The official title of the country from 1864 was 'Estados Unidos de Venezuela', a name it would carry until 1953, when the constitution mandated a return to the name 'Republica de Venezuela'.
The 1877 2½ centavos shown is copper-nickel. The denomination is written out inside the wreath reverse. It was lot 25017 and sold on Apr 16, 2011 at the 2011 April Rosemont Signature World & Ancient Coins CICF Auction #3014, for $2,760. The auction catalog description reads:
"Republic 2 1/2 Centavos 1877, MS62 NGC. The second, and scarcer, date of this two-year type which is almost never available in Mint State. From The Dana Roberts Collection."
Recorded mintage: 500,000.
Specification: copper-nickel.
Catalog reference: KM Y26.
- 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.
Link to:
- 1876 2½ centavos
- Venezuela 1877 1 centavo
- Coins and currency dated 1877
- return to coins of Venezuela