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| Slot: |
No Set |
| Origin/Country: |
COLOMBIA MODERN REPUBLIC |
| Design Description: |
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| Item Description: |
50C 1901 BOGOTA LAZARETO - BRASS KM-L5 |
| Grade: |
NGC AU 58 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
KM #L5 - 1901 Lazareto Leper Colony - 50 Centavaos - Mintage: 25,000
Date acquired: 9/22/2013 (Already graded by NGC)
Rev. 9/23/2013
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| Slot: |
Not Yet Added to a Set |
| Origin/Country: |
ECUADOR |
| Design Description: |
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| Item Description: |
2D 1895 TF PHILADELPHIA KM-51.4 |
| Grade: |
NGC AU 58 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
Ecuador - 1895 T.F. Philadelphia - Dos Decimos (KM #51.4, EC #181) - Mintage: 5,000,000
Ecuador began adopting a decimal coinage system in 1874 with the minting of one and two centavo coins at the Mint in Birmingham, England. The transition was completed on March 22, 1884 with the creation of the silver sucre coin which was equivalent to 100 centavos. The sucre remained the official unit of currency in Ecuador for 116 years until the President of Ecuador announced on January 9, 2000 that the US dollar would be adopted as Ecuador's official currency.
This was the first coin struck by the Philadelphia mint for Ecuador, and it is the only U.S. minted Ecuadorian coin I am aware of where a proof version was also minted. I have been unable to find any record of how many proofs were minted though.
Obverse
The distinctive portrait on the obverse of this coin is that of Antonio José de Sucre. Sucre was born in 1795 in Venezuela, and from the age of 15, spent the next 20 years fighting for independence from Spanish rule. During this time he became a collaborator of Simón Bolívar, a Venezuelan general, and the first constitutional president of Bolivia, all before the age of 35. Sucre led the patriots to a decisive victory at the battle of Pichincha on May 24, 1822, effectively freeing Ecuador from Spanish rule. His life was cut short on June 4, 1830 when he was assassinated while on his way to Quito. Sucre was laid to rest in his own Mausoleum Chapel in the Cathedral of Quito. He is considered the liberator of Ecuador, and appears on many Ecuadorian coins.
Reverse
The reverse of this coin has a number of interesting features:
- Following the tradition set by the Quito mint, the name of the city where this coin was minted appears at the bottom under the coat of arms. In this case, PHILADELPHIA giving this coin the distinction of being the first circulating coin minted by the Philadelphia mint to bear a mark specifically indicating Philadelphia as the mint of origin.
- The denomination is DOS DECIMOS DE SUCRE. (20 centavos)
- The weight and fineness of the silver content is explicitly stated as 5G. and 0.900 (fine) with the balance in copper.
- Continuing the tradition of the Quito mint, every coin produced bore the initials of the assayer who was responsible for the quality of the coinage. In most Latin American mints however, these initials represent two different officials, generally the chief assayer and his deputy. It would appear that the U.S. mint was unaware of this tradition and the significance of the letters T.F. which appear to the lower right of the coat of arms on the sample coin they were give from the mint in Lima, Peru. These Lima mint assayers initials T.F. were simply copied onto the reverse die created by the Philadelphia mint and appear on all of the Dos Decimos coins minted by Philadelphia.
- Ecuador dictated the various elements of their coat of arms, but the actual rendering of these elements can vary greatly from mint to mint. In this case the central elements of the ship, water and mountain look more like an ocean going vessel sailing away from a mountainous coastline rather than the river steamship Guayas, sailing the Guayas river with the snow capped Chimborazo volcano in the distant background. There is also no Caduceus appearing as a mast on the ship, an aspect which seems to have eluded all but one mint. The following is a depiction of the 1841 steamship Guayas for comparison:
This coin
This coin is a well struck, although lightly worn example of this issue. The obverse die appears to have been passing midlife due to the light bleeding of the peripheral lettering into the denticles, but the reverse die appears to have been relatively fresh. This is one of the first coins to be identified as having been struck by the Philadelphia mint.
Date acquired:11/5/2006 (raw coin)
Date graded: 3/3/2016 (self submitted to NGC)
References:
Seppa, Dale and Anderson, Michael, the COINS of ECUADOR (second edition), Almanzar's Coins of the World, San Antonio, 1973.
Rev. 11/23/2018
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| Slot: |
Not Yet Added to a Set |
| Origin/Country: |
ECUADOR |
| Design Description: |
|
| Item Description: |
2D 1895 TF PHILADELPHIA KM-51.4 |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 63 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
Ecuador - 1895 T.F. Philadelphia - Dos Decimos (KM #51.4, EC #181) - Mintage: 5,000,000
Ecuador began adopting a decimal coinage system in 1874 with the minting of one and two centavo coins at the Mint in Birmingham, England. The transition was completed on March 22, 1884 with the creation of the silver sucre coin which was equivalent to 100 centavos. The sucre remained the official unit of currency in Ecuador for 116 years until the President of Ecuador announced on January 9, 2000 that the US dollar would be adopted as Ecuador's official currency.
This was the first coin struck by the Philadelphia mint for Ecuador, and it is the only U.S. minted Ecuadorian coin I am aware of where a proof version was also minted. I have been unable to find any record of how many proofs were minted though.
Obverse
The distinctive portrait on the obverse of this coin is that of Antonio José de Sucre. Sucre was born in 1795 in Venezuela, and from the age of 15, spent the next 20 years fighting for independence from Spanish rule. During this time he became a collaborator of Simón Bolívar, a Venezuelan general, and the first constitutional president of Bolivia, all before the age of 35. Sucre led the patriots to a decisive victory at the battle of Pichincha on May 24, 1822, effectively freeing Ecuador from Spanish rule. His life was cut short on June 4, 1830 when he was assassinated while on his way to Quito. Sucre was laid to rest in his own Mausoleum Chapel in the Cathedral of Quito. He is considered the liberator of Ecuador, and appears on many Ecuadorian coins.
Reverse
The reverse of this coin has a number of interesting features:
- Following the tradition set by the Quito mint, the name of the city where this coin was minted appears at the bottom under the coat of arms. In this case, PHILADELPHIA giving this coin the distinction of being the first circulating coin minted by the Philadelphia mint to bear a mark specifically indicating Philadelphia as the mint of origin.
- The denomination is DOS DECIMOS DE SUCRE. (20 centavos)
- The weight and fineness of the silver content is explicitly stated as 5G. and 0.900 (fine) with the balance in copper.
- Continuing the tradition of the Quito mint, every coin produced bore the initials of the assayer who was responsible for the quality of the coinage. In most Latin American mints however, these initials represent two different officials, generally the chief assayer and his deputy. It would appear that the U.S. mint was unaware of this tradition and the significance of the letters T.F. which appear to the lower right of the coat of arms on the sample coin they were give from the mint in Lima, Peru. These Lima mint assayers initials T.F. were simply copied onto the reverse die created by the Philadelphia mint and appear on all of the Dos Decimos coins minted by Philadelphia.
- Ecuador dictated the various elements of their coat of arms, but the actual rendering of these elements can vary greatly from mint to mint. In this case the central elements of the ship, water and mountain look more like an ocean going vessel sailing away from a mountainous coastline rather than the river steamship Guayas, sailing the Guayas river with the snow capped Chimborazo volcano in the distant background. There is also no Caduceus appearing as a mast on the ship, an aspect which seems to have eluded all but one mint. The following is a depiction of the 1841 steamship Guayas for comparison:
This coin
This coin is a reasonably well struck, uncirculated example of this issue. The obverse and reverse dies appear to have been relatively fresh. This is one of the first coins to be identified as having been struck by the Philadelphia mint.
Date acquired: 11/26/2019 (Already graded by NGC)
References:
Seppa, Dale and Anderson, Michael, the COINS of ECUADOR (second edition), Almanzar's Coins of the World, San Antonio, 1973.
Rev. 11/28/2019
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| Slot: |
Not Yet Added to a Set |
| Origin/Country: |
ECUADOR |
| Design Description: |
|
| Item Description: |
2D 1895 TF PHILADELPHIA KM-51.4 |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 63 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
Ecuador - 1895 T.F. Philadelphia - Dos Decimos (KM #51.4, EC #181) - Mintage: 5,000,000
Ecuador began adopting a decimal coinage system in 1874 with the minting of one and two centavo coins at the Mint in Birmingham, England. The transition was completed on March 22, 1884 with the creation of the silver sucre coin which was equivalent to 100 centavos. The sucre remained the official unit of currency in Ecuador for 116 years until the President of Ecuador announced on January 9, 2000 that the US dollar would be adopted as Ecuador's official currency.
This was the first coin struck by the Philadelphia mint for Ecuador, and it is the only U.S. minted Ecuadorian coin I am aware of where a proof version was also minted. I have been unable to find any record of how many proofs were minted though.
Obverse
The distinctive portrait on the obverse of this coin is that of Antonio José de Sucre. Sucre was born in 1795 in Venezuela, and from the age of 15, spent the next 20 years fighting for independence from Spanish rule. During this time he became a collaborator of Simón Bolívar, a Venezuelan general, and the first constitutional president of Bolivia, all before the age of 35. Sucre led the patriots to a decisive victory at the battle of Pichincha on May 24, 1822, effectively freeing Ecuador from Spanish rule. His life was cut short on June 4, 1830 when he was assassinated while on his way to Quito. Sucre was laid to rest in his own Mausoleum Chapel in the Cathedral of Quito. He is considered the liberator of Ecuador, and appears on many Ecuadorian coins.
Reverse
The reverse of this coin has a number of interesting features:
- Following the tradition set by the Quito mint, the name of the city where this coin was minted appears at the bottom under the coat of arms. In this case, PHILADELPHIA giving this coin the distinction of being the first circulating coin minted by the Philadelphia mint to bear a mark specifically indicating Philadelphia as the mint of origin.
- The denomination is DOS DECIMOS DE SUCRE. (20 centavos)
- The weight and fineness of the silver content is explicitly stated as 5G. and 0.900 (fine) with the balance in copper.
- Continuing the tradition of the Quito mint, every coin produced bore the initials of the assayer who was responsible for the quality of the coinage. In most Latin American mints however, these initials represent two different officials, generally the chief assayer and his deputy. It would appear that the U.S. mint was unaware of this tradition and the significance of the letters T.F. which appear to the lower right of the coat of arms on the sample coin they were give from the mint in Lima, Peru. These Lima mint assayers initials T.F. were simply copied onto the reverse die created by the Philadelphia mint and appear on all of the Dos Decimos coins minted by Philadelphia.
- Ecuador dictated the various elements of their coat of arms, but the actual rendering of these elements can vary greatly from mint to mint. In this case the central elements of the ship, water and mountain look more like an ocean going vessel sailing away from a mountainous coastline rather than the river steamship Guayas, sailing the Guayas river with the snow capped Chimborazo volcano in the distant background. There is also no Caduceus appearing as a mast on the ship, an aspect which seems to have eluded all but one mint. The following is a depiction of the 1841 steamship Guayas for comparison:
This coin
This coin is a really beautiful, well struck, uncirculated example of this issue. The obverse and reverse dies appear to have been nearly new. It really seems like it should have attained a higher grade.
Date acquired: 11/22/2019 (Raw coin)
Date graded: 8/4/2020 (self submitted to NGC)
References:
Seppa, Dale and Anderson, Michael, the COINS of ECUADOR (second edition), Almanzar's Coins of the World, San Antonio, 1973.
Rev. 9/6/2020
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| Slot: |
Not Included in any Set |
| Origin/Country: |
MEXICO - 1823-1909 |
| Design Description: |
|
| Item Description: |
PESO 1898MO AM RESTRIKE KM-409.2 |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 63 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
Mexico - 1898Mo AM Restrike (1949) - reverse with 134 beads - Peso - (KM# 409.2) Mintage:2,000,000
Composition: .9027 silver, .0973 copper.
This is a very interesting coin for a variety of reasons. It was not struck in 1898, nor was it struck in Mexico City, nor was it struck for Mexico! It was actually struck by the US Mint in San Francisco in 1949 for Chiang Kai-Shek’s Nationalist Chinese government.
To quote Altz & Barton, "This 1949 coinage represents a restrike issue of a Peso originally struck at Mexico City in 1898. The coins bear the date 1898 and are identical with the 1898 issue in design and composition, with only one small difference. On the Pesos actually struck in 1898, there are 139 denticles in the border on the reverse while the 1949 restrikes have only 131 denticles. This is the only U.S.-struck coin of Mexico which can be identified without a doubt as originating in the United States. All others were also stuck at the Mexico City mint from identical dies."
The above quote is accurate with two exception. There are actually 134 denticles on the reverse (which, by the way is mounted as the obverse by NGC). Krause & Mishler designate the obverse as the side with the Eagle on it and the date side as the reverse, which is the same way Altz & Barton describe it. K&M also specify 134 denticles, and they are correct. I counted them. The other, much less tedious way to differentiate between the original and the restrike is by examining the Mexico City mint mark. The original coins have the tops of the mint mark (Mo) lined up, while the o in Mo is higher than the M on the restrike.
According to an article in the September 5, 2016 issue of Coin World, this 1898 silver peso of Mexico was actually struck for Chiang Kai-Shek’s Nationalist Chinese government when they introduced a new silver based currency during the Chinese Civil War following World War II. American support for the Nationalists included several billion dollars’ worth of aid and military hardware, and even 55,000 U.S. troops for a short time. Inflation was rampant in areas still controlled by the Nationalists, and they were ultimately forced out of mainland China by Mao Tse-Tung’s Communists.
Date acquired: 6/4/2014 (Already graded by NGC)
Rev. 7/6/2019
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| Slot: |
Set and Slot Exist, But Coin Not Yet Accepted |
| Origin/Country: |
N.E.INDIES |
| Design Description: |
|
| Item Description: |
CENT 1942P N.e.indies KM-317 |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 65 RD |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
Netherlands East Indies - 1942P 1 Cent - KM #317 - Mintage:100,000,000
This coin was minted by the Philadelphia mint during World War II for the Dutch colony now known as Indonesia, and it even bears the "P" mint mark just below the date on the right side of the obverse. It also has the Palm tree privy mark (to the left of the denomination) which was used by the Dutch mints to distinguish similar looking coinage intended for the colonies from that intended for circulation in the The Netherlands where the acorn privy mark was used.. The Palm tree appears on nearly all colonial coinage even though in this case there would have been no confusion given the reverse of this coin.
An interesting characteristic of the One Cent coins in this series is that they appear to be struck with medalic rotation while all of the other denominations struck for the Netherlands East Indies were struck with the normal "coin" rotation.
This particular coin is a beautiful full red high grade example of this otherwise very common date. It was also selected by NGC to be the Plate coin for the Coin Values web page.
Date acquired: 1/17/2008 (Raw coin)
Date graded: 10/30/2015 (Self Submitted)
Rev. 12/2/2015
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| Slot: |
Set and Slot Exist, But Coin Not Yet Accepted |
| Origin/Country: |
N.E.INDIES |
| Design Description: |
|
| Item Description: |
CENT 1942P N.e.indies KM-317 |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 66 RD |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
Netherlands East Indies - 1942P 1 Cent - KM #317 - Mintage:100,000,000
Obverse: 3/4 spray around hole in center with value below.
Obverse Legend: NEDERLANDSCH INDIE (Netherlands Indies) and date
Reverse: Arabic text reiterating the denomination of the coin with flowers below hole.
Reverse Legend: Javanese text reiterating the denomination of the coin.
Edge: Plain
This coin was minted by the Philadelphia mint during World War II for the Dutch colony now known as Indonesia, and it even bears the "P" mint mark just below the date on the right side of the obverse. It also has the Palm tree privy mark (to the left of the denomination) which was used by the Dutch mints to distinguish similar looking coinage intended for the colonies from that intended for circulation in the The Netherlands where the acorn privy mark was used.. The Palm tree appears on nearly all colonial coinage even though in this case there would have been no confusion given the reverse of this coin.
An interesting characteristic of the One Cent coins in this series is that they appear to be struck with medalic rotation while all of the other denominations struck for the Netherlands East Indies were struck with the normal "coin" rotation.
This particular coin is a beautiful high grade red example of this otherwise common date. As of this revision, there are none graded finer by NGC.
Date acquired: 1/17/2008 (raw coin)
Date graded: 9/28/2018 (self submitted to NGC)
Rev. 10/4/2018
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| Slot: |
Set and Slot Exist, But Coin Not Yet Accepted |
| Origin/Country: |
N.E.INDIES |
| Design Description: |
|
| Item Description: |
CENT 1945P N.e.indies KM-317 |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 66 Red Brown |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
Netherlands East Indies - 1945P 1 Cent - KM #317 - Mintage: 335,000,000
184,003,000 minted in 1945
150,997,000 minted in 1946, but still dated 1945
This coin was minted by the Philadelphia mint during World War II for the Dutch colony now known as Indonesia, and it even bears the "P" mint mark just below the date on the right side of the obverse. It also has the Palm tree privy mark (to the left of the denomination) which was used by the Dutch mints to distinguish similar looking coinage intended for the colonies from that intended for circulation in the The Netherlands where the acorn privy mark was used. The Palm Tree appears on nearly all colonial coinage even though in this case there would have been no confusion given the reverse of this coin.
An interesting characteristic of the One Cent coins in this series is that they appear to be struck with medalic rotation while all of the other denominations struck for the Netherlands East Indies were struck with the normal "coin" rotation.
This coin is a pleasing high grade red brown specimen.
Varieties: P over S mint mark varieties are known to exist, and the author owns one.
Date acquired: 7/8/2007 (Already graded by NGC)
Rev. 1/17/2016
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| Slot: |
Set and Slot Exist, But Coin Not Yet Accepted |
| Origin/Country: |
N.E.INDIES |
| Design Description: |
|
| Item Description: |
CENT 1945D N.e.indies KM-317 |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 65 RD |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
Netherlands East Indies - 1945D 1 Cent - KM #317 - Mintage: 133,800,000
Composition: Bronze
Weight:.......... 4.8000g
Diameter:...... 23mm
Edge:............. Plain
The obverse identifies the coins as having been minted for NEDERLANDSCH INDIE in 1945 by the Denver mint, the D mint mark appearing just below the date on the right side. A palm tree privy mark also appears on the coin on the left side between the denomination of "1 Ct" and the "N" of NEDERLANDSCH. The palm tree privy mark was used on all dutch colonial coins minted by the US mints from 1941 through 1945. An acorn privy mark was used on cons minted for the Dutch homeland of the Netherlands during those years. In only one case was the privy mark actually necessary to differentiate where the coin was intended to circulate. There is no need to make that distinction on the coins struck for the Dutch East Indies, but the palm tree privy mark appears on every design struck for Dutch colonies by the US mints. The only other obverse design element is most likely a rice panicle which surrounds the center hole.
The reverse of this coin is predominately in Javanese script, but also Arabic script which phonetically reads from Indonesian 'Syukur pada Allah', above the hole, and 'Rupiah' below the hole. Translated to English, 'give thanks to God' and 'rupiah', the unit of currency still used in Indonesia today. The flowers at the bottom of the reverse may be Jasmine Sambac, but I am not absolutely certain of that.
One other odd thing about these coins is their die orientation. The One Cent coins were minted with medalic rotation while ALL other coins minted for the Netherlands and the Dutch colonies of Curacao, Suriname, and the Netherlands East Indies were minted with Coin rotation.
There are four of these coins graded by NGC as RED, two in MS65RD, and two in MS67RD for this date. Unfortunately, this one was placed in the holder backwards!
Date acquired: 2/1/2012 (Already graded by NGC)
Rev. 5/10/2016
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| Slot: |
Set and Slot Exist, But Coin Not Yet Accepted |
| Origin/Country: |
N.E.INDIES |
| Design Description: |
|
| Item Description: |
CENT 1945D N.e.indies KM-317 |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 66 RD |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
Netherlands East Indies - 1945D 1 Cent - KM #317 - Mintage: 133,800,000
This coin was minted by the Denver mint during World War II for the Dutch colony now known as Indonesia, and it even bears the "D" mint mark just below the date on the right side of the obverse. It also has the Palm tree privy mark (to the left of the denomination) which was used by the Dutch mints to distinguish similar looking coinage intended for the colonies from that intended for circulation in the The Netherlands where the acorn privy mark was used. The Palm Tree appears on nearly all colonial coinage even though in this case there would have been no confusion given the reverse of this coin.
An interesting characteristic of the One Cent coins in this series is that they appear to be struck with medalic rotation while all of the other denominations struck for the Netherlands East Indies were struck with the normal "coin" rotation.
This coin is a very attractive, full red MS66 coin with few equal or finer.
Date acquired: 2/10/2008 (Raw coin)
Date graded: 10/28/2015 (Self submitted to NGC)
Rev. 12/2/2015
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| Slot: |
Set and Slot Exist, But Coin Not Yet Accepted |
| Origin/Country: |
N.E.INDIES |
| Design Description: |
|
| Item Description: |
CENT 1945D N.e.indies KM-317 |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 67 RD |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
Netherlands East Indies - 1945D 1 Cent - KM #317 - Mintage: 133,800,000
Obverse: 3/4 spray around hole in center with value below.
Obverse Legend: NEDERLANDSCH INDIE (Netherlands Indies) and date
Reverse: Arabic text reiterating the denomination of the coin with flowers below hole.
Reverse Legend: Javanese text reiterating the denomination of the coin.
Edge: Plain
This coin was minted by the Denver mint during World War II for the Dutch colony now known as Indonesia, and it even bears the "D" mint mark just below the date on the right side of the obverse. It also has the Palm tree privy mark (to the left of the denomination) which was used by the Dutch mints to distinguish similar looking coinage intended for the colonies from that intended for circulation in the The Netherlands where the acorn privy mark was used. The Palm Tree appears on nearly all colonial coinage even though in this case there would have been no confusion given the reverse of this coin.
An interesting characteristic of the One Cent coins in this series is that they appear to be struck with medalic rotation while all of the other denominations struck for the Netherlands East Indies were struck with the normal "coin" rotation.
This coin is a very attractive, full red, nearly flawless example of this relatively common issue. As of this revision, it has few equals and none certified finer.
Date acquired: 11/3/2011 (Raw coin)
Date graded: 9/28/2018 (Self submitted to NGC)
Rev. 12/5/2018
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| Slot: |
Set and Slot Exist, But Coin Not Yet Accepted |
| Origin/Country: |
N.E.INDIES |
| Design Description: |
|
| Item Description: |
CENT 1945S N.e.indies KM-317 |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 66 RD |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
Netherlands East Indies - 1945S 1 Cent - KM #317 Mintage 102,568,000
59,852,000 minted in 1945
42,716,000 minted in 1946, but still dated 1945
Obverse: 3/4 spray around hole in center with value below.
Obverse Legend: NEDERLANDSCH INDIE (Netherlands Indies) and date
Reverse: Arabic text reiterating the denomination of the coin with flowers below hole.
Reverse Legend: Javanese text reiterating the denomination of the coin.
Edge: Plain
This coin was minted by the San Francisco mint during World War II for the Dutch colony now known as Indonesia, and it even bears the "S" mint mark just below the date on the right side of the obverse. It also has the Palm tree privy mark (to the left of the denomination) which was used by the Dutch mints to distinguish similar looking coinage intended for the colonies from that intended for circulation in the The Netherlands where the acorn privy mark was used. The Palm Tree appears on nearly all colonial coinage even though in this case there would have been no confusion given the reverse of this coin.
An interesting characteristic of the One Cent coins in this series is that they appear to be struck with medalic rotation while all of the other denominations struck for the Netherlands East Indies were struck with the normal "coin" rotation.
These coins are not rare, but full red specimens are not all that common. NGC has graded only 7 in red, 5 at 66 and 2 at 67.
Date acquired: 3/22/2008 (Raw coin)
Date graded: 9/26/2012 (Self submitted to NGC).
Rev. 9/22/2019
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| Slot: |
Not Included in any Set (but not considered a regular issue) |
| Origin/Country: |
PERU - DECIMAL |
| Design Description: |
|
| Item Description: |
1C 1864 BRONZE OFF METAL STRIKE KM-187.1a (KM-TS2) |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 63 RB |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
Peru - 1864 One Cent (Bronze) - KM-187.1a (aka KM-TS2) - Mintage: Unknown in Bronze
Minted by the private mint of Holmes, Booth & Hayden, Waterbury, Connecticut.
A monetary law enacted in Peru on September 28, 1857 provided for a one-centimo coin to replace the quarter real in everyday commercial transactions. At this same time, the United States was making a transition from large cents to the smaller flying eagle cent. The law was never placed into effect though, primarily because it stated that the one-centimo coin be made of refined copper, unalloyed with other metals, and of such a weight that its intrinsic value would correspond to its nominal value. It was soon realized that the coins would disappear quickly as the value of copper increased.
The United States was experimenting with various alloys at the same time for replacing the copper large cents currently in circulation. Although an alloy of 95% copper, with the remainder a suitable mixture of tin and zinc, was originally suggested, an alloy of 88% copper and 12% nickel was ultimately adopted for the Flying Eagle cent of 1857.
.
A new Peruvian monetary law was passed on January 31, 1863 that revised the composition and design of the new copper coinage as follows:
There shall be two copper coins, the first of 2 centavos value, and the second of 1 centavo, both corresponding to the value of the metal and the cost of manufacture. The copper coin shall have in the center of the obverse a sun, around it the inscription REPUBLICA PERUANA (Peruvian Republic), and the date at the top part; on the reverse the word DOS (two) or UN (one) CENTAVO, surrounded by a wreath formed by two cornucopias. The amount of copper that may be issued shall not exceed the value of 300, 000 soles. No one is obliged to receive copper coins but for a value less than 5 centavos.
The coins were to be struck in the United States and there are many correspondences between the Peruvian government and officials at the U.S. Mint. The U.S. Mint could not strike the coins for Peru in 1863 since the law permitting striking of foreign coinage would not be passed until 1874. Director of the U. S. Mint, James Pollock, did however offer to have the engraving department of the U.S. Mint provide the dies for striking the coins when he wrote: Mr. A. C. Paquet, of the Engraving Department of the Mint and a competent artist, will undertake the preparation of your Dies, during the hours that he is not engaged in the performance of his Mint duties. That's not what happened though and the coins were actually designed by an unknown Philadelphia artist, with the dies and hubs being prepared by A. C. Paquet.
The alloy to be used was specified to be the same as that for the U.S. cents of the day, but the weight would be determined based on the relative value of the U.S. silver dollar and the Peruvian silver Sol. The U.S. Mint could not strike the coins for Peru, but did suggest that the firm of Morgan and Orr might be able to produce the coins. Horace P. Flatt described these coins in great detail in an article in The Numismatist in 1984, but at that time, it was unknown to him where these coins were actually struck, but it was commonly accepted to have been by a private firm in Philadelphia. In 1988 however, in a letter to the editor published in The Numismatist, he revealed that the coins were in fact struck by the private mint of Holmes, Booth and Hayden in Waterbury, Connecticut. I have nothing to corroborate that, but Horace P. Flatt appears to be a very meticulous researcher, and I have no particular reason to doubt the veracity of his assertion.
The metal was supplied by the Camden Nickel Works of Camden, New Jersey, which was owned by "Nickel King" Joseph Wharton of Philadelphia. Wharton reported that 10,000,000 one-centavo coins and 5,000,000 two-centavo coins were produced accounting for 200,000 of the 300,000 soles worth of the coins Peru had authorized. However, this does not correlate with the mintages reported for these coins. All of my sources indicate that a total of 1,000,000 Centavos were struck for 1863 an 1864 combined. The exact number struck for each date being unknown. The exact same numbers are indicated for the two centavos struck for 1863-64.
All of these coins were likely struck in the second half of 1863 and early in 1864. The choice of copper nickel composition had been a point of concern with U.S. mint officials since it was chosen. Just as the coins began arriving in Peru, recommendations were being made to change the composition to 95% copper for U.S. cents. Wharton lobbied vehemently against the change, but it was ultimately accepted and signed into law by the U.S. Coinage Act of April 22, 1864. It appears that the vast majority of coins had been struck before the U.S. composition change, but bronze examples of both the one and two centavos like this one dated 1864 do exist. The bronze one centavos are very rare compared to the bronze two centavos.
There are two known design varieties for the 1863 one centavo. The first, which is presumed to be quite scarce, exhibits six incuse lines in the cornucopia on the reverse. The more common variety and all of the one centavos struck in 1864 are the five line variety. Interestingly, all of the two centavos coins for both years exhibit six incuse lines in the cornucopia on the reverse.
This Coin
This particular coin is the very rare variety one centavo struck in bronze in 1864. Only two of these have been graded by NGC and both are MS63RB.
Varieties
6 Incuse lines on rev. (88% copper and 12% nickel) - 1863 only, less common variety
5 Incuse lines on rev. (88% copper and 12% nickel) - 1863 and 1864, common variety
5 Incuse lines on rev. (95% copper, 4% tin, and 1% zinc) - 1864 only, very rare (this coin)
Sources
- Day, Thomas C. "Joseph Wharton and Nickel Coinage," The Numismatist, Vol. 100, No. 10,1987, pp. 2109-2114.
- Flatt, Horace P., "Peruvian Centavos," The Numismatist, Vol 97, No. 2 1984, pp. 254-261.
- Flatt, Horace P., "The First Foreign Coins Struck at the Philadelphia Mint," The Numismatist, Vol 99, No. 1 1986, pp. 38-43.
- Flatt, Horace P., "Authority Commends and Corrects Lima Mint Article," Letter to the Editor, The Numismatist, Vol 101, No. 10 1988, pp.1697-1699.
- Murray, Glenn S., "Exploring the Historic Lima Mint," The Numismatist, Vol 101, No. 7 1988, pp. 1200-1212.
Date acquired: 6/16/2020 (already graded by NGC)
Rev. 8/6/2020
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| Slot: |
No Set |
| Origin/Country: |
United States |
| Design Description: |
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| Item Description: |
SC$1 1940 CA HK-483 PETROLEUM DOLLAR GOLDEN GATE EXPOSITION GOLDEN GATE EXPOSITION |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 66 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
HK-483 - 1940 Golden Gate International Exposition, The Story of Petroleum "So-Called Dollar"
Also known as the 1940 Petroleum Dollar. There are two types of text found on the reverse of this medal (although the words are identical), and based on some pictures I've seen, I believe this one is a Type II. I have seen other NGC graded medals where the type has been designated on the label, but not this one. I'd love to hear from anyone who knows absolutely how to tell which type this medal is. Another version of this medal was struck in 1939 and is identified as HK-484. The obverse on HK-484 is slightly different, but the reverse contains exactly the same text. I find it interesting that the higher HK number was assigned to the earlier medal. This always trips me up when describing these medals.
See http://www.so-calleddollars.com/Events/Golden_Gate_Exposition.html for a more complete description.
As of this revision, PCGS has graded none of these medals, and NGC has graded ten at MS66 with three finer at MS67.
Date acquired: 7/23/2013 (Already graded by NGC)
Rev. 1/16/2016
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| Slot: |
No Set |
| Origin/Country: |
United States |
| Design Description: |
|
| Item Description: |
SC$1 1939 CA HK-484 PETROLEUM DOLLAR GOLDEN GATE EXPOSITION GOLDEN GATE EXPOSITION |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 64 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
HK-484 - 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition - Petroleum Exhibit "So-Called Dollar"
Also known as the 1939 Petroleum Dollar. Another version of this medal was struck in 1940 and is identified as HK-483. The obverse on HK-483 is more modern looking, but the reverse contains exactly the same text. I find it interesting that the higher HK number was assigned to the earlier medal. This always trips me up when describing these medals.
See http://www.so-calleddollars.com/Events/Golden_Gate_Exposition.html for a description.
Date acquired: 7/23/2013 (Already graded by NGC)
Rev. 1/16/2016
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