Venezuela 1888 1/2 bolivar
This specimen was lot 41649 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Costa Mesa, CA, August 2021), where it sold for $1,680. The catalog description[1] noted, "VENEZUELA. 1/2 Bolivar, 1888. Caracas Mint. PCGS EF-45 Gold Shield. A KEY DATE, this example easily surpasses most seen with excellent detail remaining in Bolivar's portrait and consistent silver-gray color on both sides. A coin that should immediately capture the attention of specialized collectors focused on the challenging 19th century issues of Venezuela." This type was struck 1879, 1886-89, 1893, 1900-03, 1911-12, 1919-21, 1924, 1929, 1935-36 at various mints. Despite the many years of production, only the 1935 is really common. The last silver issue was in 1960. The SCWC calls this a fifty centimos but the coin does not actually bear a denomination.
Recorded mintage: 230,000, a rare date.
Specification: 2.5 g, 0.835 fine silver, 18 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-Y21.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Stohr, Tomas, Catalogo de Monedas, Ensayos, Fichas y Resellos de Venezuela, Caracas, 1975.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The August 2021 ANA sale: World and Ancient Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2021.
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