Venezuela 1858-A 1/2 real
Though Venezuela declared independence in 1810 and fully routed Spanish troops from the region by 1821, it was not until the dissolution of Gran Colombia in 1830 that Venezuela became fully a sovereign nation. The first republican coinage was denominated in centavos and reales.
The 1858 half real shown was struck at the Paris mint (A). It is a one year type, as are all reales issues from this period. It was lot 53088 and sold on Jan 8, 2007 at the 2007 January New York Signature World Coin Auction 425, for $4,600. The auction catalog description reads: "Republic 1/2 Real 1858A, superb toned UNC, just a delightful little coin with deep blue-green and gold patina. Extremely rare and desirable in this quality."
Recorded mintage: 40,270.
Specification: 1.15 g, 0.900 fine silver, 0.0333oz ASW.
Catalog reference: KM Y8.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
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