Venezuela 1889 5 bolivares
Venezuela fully adopted a decimal coinage system in 1871, with 100 centavos = 1 venezuelano. By 1879, denominations were renamed centimos and bolivares, such that 100 centimos = one bolivar. A crown was equivalent to five bolivares. 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'. Shown is a 1889 five bolivares, minted in Caracas. The denomination is shown on the reverse as GR.25. This specimen was lot 1762 in Stacks-Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2015), where it sold for $2,585. The catalog description[1] noted, "VENEZUELA. 5 Bolivares, 1889. NGC AU-53. Well struck with light even wear."
Specification: 37 mm diameter, 25 grams, 0.900 fine silver, reeded edge.
Recorded Mintage: 329,000.
Catalog reference: KM Y24.1.
- 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]Ponterio, Richard, The January 2015 NYINC Auction: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, Featuring the John W. Adams and Ray Czabor Collections, Irvine, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2014.
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