Venezuela 1904 5 bolivares
Venezuela fully adopted a decimal coinage system in 1871, with 100 centavos = one venezuelano. By 1879, denominations were renamed centimos and bolivares, such that 100 centimos = 1 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'. Silver fractionals and multiples of bolivares did not possess the name of the denomination. Instead, the weight of the coin and silver fineness is listed on the side with the coat of arms.
Shown is a 1904 5 bolivares, minted in Paris (with privy mark only). The obverse features the portrait of Simon Bolivar, recognized as liberator of the Venezuelans from rule by the Spanish. The reverse features the coat of arms, and the denomination written as GR.25, which is equivalent to the standard weight of a crown. The specimen shown was lot 1768 on Apr 9, 2010 at an auction by Daniel Frank Sedwick LLC and sold for $192.05. The catalog description reads: "Venezuela (Paris), 5 Bolivares, 1904, encapsulated ANACS scratched AU-50 details. Nicely toned all over but with old scratches on obverse."
Recorded mintage: 200,000.
Specifications: 25g, 0.835 fine silver, 0.7234 ASW.
Catalog reference: Y 24.2.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Stohr, Tomas, El Circulante en la Capitania General de Venezuela, Caracas, Banco Central de Venezuela, 1998.
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