Mexico 1844-GC LR 1/4 real

Ponterio sale 159, lot 8090

photo courtesy Ponterio & Associates

This type was struck at Guadalupe y Calvo 1844 only. "Lion and castle" quarter reals were struck before independence but their issue ceased in 1821. State coppers were meant to fill the gap but their abusive overissue forced the central goverment to issue these tiny silver coins (face value 3¼¢) in an attempt to displace them. They were issued by the Chihuahua (mintmark "Ca", rare), Culiacan (mintmark "C", rare), Durango (mintmark "Do", not common), Guadalajara (mintmark "Ga", common), Guadalupe y Calvo (mintmark "GC", rare), Guanajuato (mintmark "Go", common), Mexico City (mintmark "Mo", common), San Luis Potosí (mintmark "SLPi", common) and Zacatecas (mintmark "Zs", common) mints. Many individual dates are very rare. Counterfeits exist. The conversion to decimal coinage in the 1860's terminated the denomination. This specimen was lot 8090 in Ponterio sale 159 (Baltimore, March 2011), where it sold for $5,175. The catalog description^[1] noted, "MEXICO. Guadalupe Y Calvo. 1/4 Real, 1844-GCLR. Choice One Year Type Guadalupe Y Calvo Cuartilla. VERY RARE one year type and exceptional quality. NGC MS-63."

Specification: 0.845 g, 0.903 fine silver.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Catalog reference: KM-368.4.

Source:

• Buttrey, T. V., and Clyde Hubbard, A Guide Book of Mexican Coins, 1822 to date, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 1992.
• Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
• ^[1]Ponterio, Richard, Ponterio sale 159: the March 2011 Baltimore Auction, featuring the Len Novotny collection, Irvine, CA: Stack's-Bowers & Ponterio, 2011.

Link to:

• 1843-Go ¼ real
• 1844-G^A ¼ real
• 1844-G^O ¼ real
• 1844-M^O ¼ real
• 1844-SLP^I ¼ real
• 1844-C^A ½ real
• 1844-G^A ½ real
• 1844-GC ½ real
• 1844-G^O ½ real
• 1844-Z ½ real
• 1844-C^A real
• 1844-GC real
• 1844-Z^S real
• 1844-G^A 2 reales
• 1844-Z^S 2 reales
• 1844-G^A 4 reales
• 1844-GC 4 reales
• 1844-G^O 4 reales
• 1844-C^A 8 reales
• 1844-D^O 8 reales
• 1844-G^A 8 reales
• 1844-GC 8 reales
• 1844-G^O 8 reales
• 1844-M^O 8 reales
• 1844-P^I 8 reales
• 1844-Z^S 8 reales
• 1844-D^O ½ escudo
• 1844-M^O ½ escudo
• 1844-GC escudo
• 1844-G^A 4 escudos
• 1844-GC 8 escudos
• 1844-G^O 8 escudos
• 1844-M^O 8 escudos
• 1845-G^O ¼ real
• 1845-Mo ¼ real
• Coins and currency dated 1844
• On the coinage of the Guadalupe y Calvo mint
• return to Mexican imperial and republican coinage, 1822-1905