Venezuela 1924 1/2 bolivar
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 = 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 1924 half bolivar, minted in Philadelphia. It is the last scarce date; the 1929-48 issues are all common. The denomination is shown on the reverse as GR.2,500. The second specimen was lot 36886 in Heritage sale 3038 (Dallas, January 2015), where it sold for $940. The catalog description[1] noted, "Republic 1/2 Bolivar 1924 MS63 NGC. Light silvery toning coupled with enchanting luster. bordering on rare when found this choice." The fourth specimen was lot 23685 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Las Vegas, August 2020), where it sold for $660. The catalog description[1] noted, "VENEZUELA. 1/2 Bolivar, 1924. Philadelphia Mint. NGC MS-63. Exceptional quality, boasting beaming luster and premium surfaces for the grade. Without question among the very finest we've seen of this issue!"
Recorded mintage: 400,000.
Specifications: 2.5 g, 0.835 fine silver, 0.0671 oz ASW.
Catalog reference: Y 21.
- 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]Bierrenbach, Cristiano, Warren Tucker and David Michaels, Heritage Signature Auction 3037, featuring the Empire, the Santa Catarina, the Law and the Santa Maria Collections, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2014.
- [2]Orsini, Matt, Richard Ponterio and Kyle Ponterio, The August 2020 ANA Auction: World Coins, featuring the Duke of Lansing Collection, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2020.
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