Paraguay 1867 4 pesos KM-Pn19
This specimen was lot 41462 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Oklahoma City, OK, August 2025), where it sold for $11,400. The catalog description[1] noted, "The Exceedingly Rare "Bouvet" Pattern in Copper. PARAGUAY. Copper 4 Pesos Pattern, 1867. Asuncion Mint. NGC VF-25. Listed in the Standard Catalog (KM) as just one known, this exceptional Latin American RARITY has at least one other known example, with a somewhat more circulated and damaged example present in a May 2003 auction. As such, the importance of the present problem-free specimen cannot be overstated. Fairly well but evenly circulated, with solid detail across both sides and a delightful olive-brown hue throughout." This pattern was also struck in gold (KM Pn18) and silver (KM PnA19). We don't know where this pattern was made but the Paraguayan government in 1867 was in no position to place contracts for coinage, being fully occupied in losing the War of the Triple Alliance. The war, which ended in March 1870 when Paraguayan president Francisco Solano Lopez was shot by Brazilian soldiers, was the most destructive in Latin American history. The number of casualties is hotly disputed but it is believed over half the population of Paraguay died.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: copper.
Catalog reference: KM-Pn19; Mayans-13.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, August 2025 Global Showcase Auction, World & Ancient Coins, featuring The Richard August Collection and the Richard Margolis Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2025.
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