Venezuela 1910 20 bolivares
This specimen was lot 8451 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2022), where it did not sell. The catalog description[1] noted, "VENEZUELA. 20 Bolivares, 1910. Paris Mint. NGC MS-61. Struck with the Paris mint privy marks. Type II variety, with the dot close to "LEI". Slightly better as a date, this gently handled and attractive survivor displays a pale golden coloration on the high points and exposed areas with richer patination amongst the devices and crevasses. From the Centuria Collection." Venezuela adopted a complete decimal coinage system in 1871, with 100 centavos = 1 venezuelano. By 1879, denominations were renamed centimos and bolivares, such that 100 centimos = 1 bolivar. The peso sized coin 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'. The silver issues 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. This type was struck 1879-80, 1886-88, 1904-05, 1910-12 at various mints. Altho no individual date has a large mintage, the type is common.
Recorded mintage: 70,000.
Specification: 6.45 g, 0.900 fine gold.
Catalog reference: Fr-5c; KM-Y32; Stohr-66.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- 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.
- [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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