Mexico 1896-Go R 20 pesos

Heritage sale 3106, lot 32264

photo courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries

This specimen was lot 32264 in Heritage sale 3105 (New York, January 2023), where it sold for $36,000. The catalog description^[1] noted, "Mexico: Republic gold 20 Pesos 1896/9 GO-R MS66+ NGC, Guanajuato mint. A 'wonder coin' from the Second Republic, boasting a seemingly impossible state of preservation for an already elusive overdate. Hypnotizing luster is met by a looming frost at the peripheries, an encounter that imbues the piece with unintended but ever-so inspiring Cameo quality. The iconic devices are rendered with a clarity that this cataloger has not had to confront prior, confirming the piece's superior manufacture. This offering stands as the sole finest across NGC and PCGS not just of the date but of the entire 20 Pesos series, a truly rare numismatic opportunity set to command ardent bidding activity. Ex. Heritage Auction #3101 (August 2022, Lot 35999); Eliasberg Collection (American Numismatic Rarities April 2005, Lot 3402); John H. Clapp Estate to Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr., 1942." This type was struck at Guanajuato 1870-1905. The type is also recorded from Mexico City, Durango, Culiacan, Alamos, Chihuahua, Hermosillo, Oaxaca and Zacatecas but Mexico City is by far the most prolific issuer. The 1896-GoR is considered a fairly common date. Mintage figures are not a reliable indicator of rarity for this type due to the accidents of hoarding; many low mintage issues are readily available while other high mintage issues are very rare. The overdate is not mentioned in the SCWC.

Recorded mintage: 9,219.

Specification: 33.84 g, 0.875 fine gold, .953 troy oz AGW.

Catalog reference: Fr-124, KM 414.4.

Source:

• Bailey, Don and Lois, Whitman Encyclopedia of Mexican Money, Volume 1, An Illustrated History of Mexican Coins and Currency, Atlanta: Whitman Publishing, 2014.
• Buttrey, T. V., and Clyde Hubbard, A Guide Book of Mexican Coins, 1822 to date, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 1992.
• 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, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
• Utberg, Neil S., The Coins of Mexico, 1536-1963, San Antonio, TX, 1963.
• ^[1]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and Sam Spiegel, 2023 January 17 - 18 NYINC World & Ancient Coins Signature Auction #3106, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2022.

Link to:

• 1895-C^N 20 pesos
• 1895-G^O 20 pesos
• 1896-M^O centavo
• 1896-G^O 5 centavos
• 1896-M^O 5 centavos
• 1896-Z^S 5 centavos
• 1896-M^O B 10 centavos
• 1896-M^O M 10 centavos
• 1896-C^N 8 reales
• 1896-G^O 8 reales
• 1896-M^O AB 8 reales
• 1896-M^O AM 8 reales
• 1896-Z^S 8 reales
• 1896-C^N gold peso
• 1896-G^O gold peso
• 1896-M^O B gold peso
• 1896-M^O M gold peso
• 1896-M^O 20 pesos
• 1897-G^O 20 pesos
• Coins and currency dated 1896
• return to Decimal coinage of the Republic of Mexico, 1863-1905