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Peru - Minted in the United States

Category:  World Coins
Owner:  coin928
Last Modified:  5/15/2023
Set Description
This set description is a work in progress. When complete, there will be 52 basic coins, several varieties, and one error coin in this set. None of these coins are terribly rare, but finding them in mint state is a challenge.

Set Goals
A complete set of Peruvian coins struck by the U.S. Mint (1919-1976), the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut (aka the Waterbury mint) (1895) and the firm of Holmes, Booth & Haydens, also located in Waterbury, CT (1863-1864).

Slot Name
Origin/Country
Item Description
Full Grade
Owner Comments
Pics
View Coin 1863-1C-6-Lines(HB&H) PERU - DECIMAL 1C 1863 6 INCUSE CORNUCOPIA LINES KM-187.1 NGC MS 64 Peru - 1863 One Cent - 6 Incuse Lines on Rev. - KM-187.1 - Mintage: 1,000,000 (combined for 1863 and 1864)
Minted by the private mint of Holmes, Booth & Haydens, 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 do exist dated 1864. 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 with 6 incuse lines in the cornucopias on the reverse, and is currently the only one graded by NGC. I acquired this coin in 2008, long before I was even aware that there were two distinct reverse types. It wasn't until 2020 that I did any serious research on these coins, so I was completely unaware of what I'd had tucked away in a drawer for the past 12 years.

Varieties
6 Incuse cornucopia lines on rev. (88% copper and 12% nickel) - 1863 only, very rare variety (this coin)
5 Incuse cornucopia lines on rev. (88% copper and 12% nickel) - 1863 and 1864, common variety
5 Incuse cornucopia lines on rev. (95% copper, 4% tin, and 1% zinc) - 1864 only, very rare

Sources
  1. Day, Thomas C. "Joseph Wharton and Nickel Coinage," The Numismatist, Vol. 100, No. 10,1987, pp. 2109-2114.
  2. Flatt, Horace P., "Peruvian Centavos," The Numismatist, Vol 97, No. 2 1984, pp. 254-261.
  3. Flatt, Horace P., "The First Foreign Coins Struck at the Philadelphia Mint," The Numismatist, Vol 99, No. 1 1986, pp. 38-43.
  4. Flatt, Horace P., "Authority Commends and Corrects Lima Mint Article," Letter to the Editor, The Numismatist, Vol 101, No. 10 1988, pp.1697-1699.
  5. Murray, Glenn S., "Exploring the Historic Lima Mint," The Numismatist, Vol 101, No. 7 1988, pp. 1200-1212.
Date acquired: 8/31/2008 (raw coin)
Date graded: 8/4/2020 (self submitted to NGC

Rev. 8/19/2020
View Coin 1863-1C-5-Lines(HB&H) PERU - DECIMAL 1C 1863 5 INCUSE CORNUCOPIA LINES KM-187.1 NGC MS 62 Peru - 1863 One Cent - 5 Incuse Lines on Rev. - KM-187.1 - Mintage: 1,000,000 (combined for 1863 and 1864)
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 do exist dated 1864. 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 common variety one centavo with 5 incuse lines in the cornucopias on the reverse. Of the 12 graded by NGC, MS62 is the lowest grade yet assigned. The highest thus far is one at MS66+. The color of this coin is pleasing and there are relatively few distracting marks so the state of preservation would seem to merit at least MS63.

Varieties
6 Incuse cornucopia lines on rev. (88% copper and 12% nickel) - 1863 only, rare variety
5 Incuse cornucopia lines on rev. (88% copper and 12% nickel) - 1863 and 1864, common variety (this coin)
5 Incuse cornucopia lines on rev. (95% copper, 4% tin, and 1% zinc) - 1864 only, very rare

Sources
  1. Day, Thomas C. "Joseph Wharton and Nickel Coinage," The Numismatist, Vol. 100, No. 10,1987, pp. 2109-2114.
  2. Flatt, Horace P., "Peruvian Centavos," The Numismatist, Vol 97, No. 2 1984, pp. 254-261.
  3. Flatt, Horace P., "The First Foreign Coins Struck at the Philadelphia Mint," The Numismatist, Vol 99, No. 1 1986, pp. 38-43.
  4. Flatt, Horace P., "Authority Commends and Corrects Lima Mint Article," Letter to the Editor, The Numismatist, Vol 101, No. 10 1988, pp.1697-1699.
  5. Murray, Glenn S., "Exploring the Historic Lima Mint," The Numismatist, Vol 101, No. 7 1988, pp. 1200-1212.
Date acquired: 1/19/2020 (already graded by NGC)

Rev. 5/17/2024
View Coin 1863-2C-CN(HB&H) PERU - DECIMAL 2C 1863 KM-188.1 NGC MS 62 Peru - 1863 Two Cent (Copper Nickel) - KM-188.1 - Mintage: 1,000,000 (1863 and 1864 combined)
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 do exist dated 1864. The bronze one centavos are very rare compared to the bronze two centavos.

There is only one design variety for the 1863 and 1864 two centavos. While the one centavo coins were first designed with six incuse lines in the cornucopia on the reverse, the design was quickly changed to 5 incuse lines for 1863 and all of 1864. The two centavos coins on the other hand were only produced with the six incuse line design.

This Coin
This particular coin is a nice example of the common copper nickel variety. The color on this coin is quite good and there are relatively few distracting marks so the state of preservation would seem to merit higher than an MS62 grade.

Varieties
6 Incuse lines on rev. (88% copper and 12% nickel) - common variety (this coin)
6 Incuse lines on rev. (95% copper, 4% tin, and 1% zinc, aka bronze) - rare

Sources
  1. Day, Thomas C. "Joseph Wharton and Nickel Coinage," The Numismatist, Vol. 100, No. 10,1987, pp. 2109-2114.
  2. Flatt, Horace P., "Peruvian Centavos," The Numismatist, Vol 97, No. 2 1984, pp. 254-261.
  3. Flatt, Horace P., "The First Foreign Coins Struck at the Philadelphia Mint," The Numismatist, Vol 99, No. 1 1986, pp. 38-43.
  4. Flatt, Horace P., "Authority Commends and Corrects Lima Mint Article," Letter to the Editor, The Numismatist, Vol 101, No. 10 1988, pp.1697-1699.
  5. Murray, Glenn S., "Exploring the Historic Lima Mint," The Numismatist, Vol 101, No. 7 1988, pp. 1200-1212.
Date acquired: 7/8/2008 (raw coin)
Date graded: 8/14/2020 (self submitted to NGC)

Rev. 8/19/2020
View Coin 1864-1C-CN(HB&H) PERU - DECIMAL 1C 1864 KM-187.1 NGC MS 63 Peru - 1864 One Cent (Bronze) - KM-187.1 - Mintage: 1,000,000 (1863 and 1864 combined)
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 common one centavo struck in copper nickel in 1864.

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 (this coin)
5 Incuse lines on rev. (95% copper, 4% tin, and 1% zinc) - 1864 only, very rare

Sources
  1. Day, Thomas C. "Joseph Wharton and Nickel Coinage," The Numismatist, Vol. 100, No. 10,1987, pp. 2109-2114.
  2. Flatt, Horace P., "Peruvian Centavos," The Numismatist, Vol 97, No. 2 1984, pp. 254-261.
  3. Flatt, Horace P., "The First Foreign Coins Struck at the Philadelphia Mint," The Numismatist, Vol 99, No. 1 1986, pp. 38-43.
  4. Flatt, Horace P., "Authority Commends and Corrects Lima Mint Article," Letter to the Editor, The Numismatist, Vol 101, No. 10 1988, pp.1697-1699.
  5. Murray, Glenn S., "Exploring the Historic Lima Mint," The Numismatist, Vol 101, No. 7 1988, pp. 1200-1212.
Date acquired: 7/8/2008 (raw coin)
Date graded: 8/4/2020(self submitted to NGC)

Rev. 8/6/2020
View Coin 1864-1C-Bronze(HB&H) PERU - DECIMAL 1C 1864 BRONZE OFF METAL STRIKE KM-187.1a (KM-TS2) NGC MS 63 RB 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
  1. Day, Thomas C. "Joseph Wharton and Nickel Coinage," The Numismatist, Vol. 100, No. 10,1987, pp. 2109-2114.
  2. Flatt, Horace P., "Peruvian Centavos," The Numismatist, Vol 97, No. 2 1984, pp. 254-261.
  3. Flatt, Horace P., "The First Foreign Coins Struck at the Philadelphia Mint," The Numismatist, Vol 99, No. 1 1986, pp. 38-43.
  4. Flatt, Horace P., "Authority Commends and Corrects Lima Mint Article," Letter to the Editor, The Numismatist, Vol 101, No. 10 1988, pp.1697-1699.
  5. 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
View Coin 1864-2C-CN(HB&H) PERU - DECIMAL 2C 1864 COPPER-NICKEL KM-188.1 NGC MS 64 Peru - 1864 Two Cent (Copper Nickel) - KM-188.1 - Mintage: 1,000,000 (1863 and 1864 combined)
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 do exist dated 1864. The bronze one centavos are very rare compared to the bronze two centavos.

There is only one design variety for the 1863 and 1864 two centavos. While the one centavo coins were first designed with six incuse lines in the cornucopia on the reverse the design was quickly changed to 5 incuse lines for 1863 and all of 1864. The two centavos coins on the other hand were only produced with the six incuse line design.

This Coin
This particular coin is a nice example of the common copper nickel variety. The color on this coin is quite good and there are relatively few distracting marks so the state of preservation would seem to merit the MS64 grade.

Varieties
6 Incuse lines on rev. (88% copper and 12% nickel) - common variety
6 Incuse lines on rev. (95% copper, 4% tin, and 1% zinc, aka bronze) - rare

Sources
  1. Day, Thomas C. "Joseph Wharton and Nickel Coinage," The Numismatist, Vol. 100, No. 10,1987, pp. 2109-2114.
  2. Flatt, Horace P., "Peruvian Centavos," The Numismatist, Vol 97, No. 2 1984, pp. 254-261.
  3. Flatt, Horace P., "The First Foreign Coins Struck at the Philadelphia Mint," The Numismatist, Vol 99, No. 1 1986, pp. 38-43.
  4. Flatt, Horace P., "Authority Commends and Corrects Lima Mint Article," Letter to the Editor, The Numismatist, Vol 101, No. 10 1988, pp.1697-1699.
  5. Murray, Glenn S., "Exploring the Historic Lima Mint," The Numismatist, Vol 101, No. 7 1988, pp. 1200-1212.
Date acquired: 7/8/2008 (raw coin)
Date graded: 8/4/2020 (self submitted to NGC)

Rev. 6/12/2020
View Coin 1864-2C-Bronze(HB&H) PERU - DECIMAL 2C 1864 BRONZE KM-188.1a NGC MS 63 RB Peru - 1864 Two Cent (Bronze) - KM-188.1a - Mintage: Unknown
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 do exist dated 1864. The bronze one centavos are very rare compared to the bronze two centavos.

There is only one design variety for the 1863 and 1864 two centavos. While the one centavo coins were first designed with six incuse lines in the cornucopia on the reverse the design was quickly changed to 5 incuse lines for 1863 and all of 1864. The two centavos coins on the other hand were only produced with the six incuse line design.

This Coin
This particular coin is a nice example of the relatively rare bronze variety. Only Brown and Red-Brown examples have been certified by NGC. The color is good and there are relatively few distracting marks so the state of preservation would seem to merit the MS63 grade.

Varieties
6 Incuse lines on rev. (88% copper and 12% nickel) - common variety
6 Incuse lines on rev. (95% copper, 4% tin, and 1% zinc, aka bronze) - rare

Sources
  1. Day, Thomas C. "Joseph Wharton and Nickel Coinage," The Numismatist, Vol. 100, No. 10,1987, pp. 2109-2114.
  2. Flatt, Horace P., "Peruvian Centavos," The Numismatist, Vol 97, No. 2 1984, pp. 254-261.
  3. Flatt, Horace P., "The First Foreign Coins Struck at the Philadelphia Mint," The Numismatist, Vol 99, No. 1 1986, pp. 38-43.
  4. Flatt, Horace P., "Authority Commends and Corrects Lima Mint Article," Letter to the Editor, The Numismatist, Vol 101, No. 10 1988, pp.1697-1699.
  5. Murray, Glenn S., "Exploring the Historic Lima Mint," The Numismatist, Vol 101, No. 7 1988, pp. 1200-1212.
Date acquired: 6/9/2020 (already graded by NGC)

Rev. 6/12/2020
View Coin 1895-2C(Scovill Mfg.) PERU - DECIMAL 2C 1895 KM-188.2 PCGS MS 64 Red Brown Peru(South) - 1895(W) 2 Centavos - KM #188.2 - Mintage: Unknown

This coin was minted by the private Waterbury Mint in Waterbury Connecticut for circulation in South Peru.

The Scovill Manufacturing Company was founded in 1802 as the Waterbury Works and primarily manufactured buttons. It was taken over by the Scovill brothers in 1827 and soon thereafter began producing many varieties of tokens. Between 1834 and 1841, it was responsible for striking many of the U. S. Hard Times Tokens as well as some Civil War Tokens, and a variety of other similar items.

Scovill Manufacturing supplied the planchets for the very first foreign coins struck by the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia. These were the Venezuela One Centavo and 2 1/2 Centavos coins struck in 1876 and 1877. Many of the planchets for U.S. One Cent and Five Cent coins struck between 1888 and 1906 were also produced by the Waterbury Mint.

Date acquired: 3/30/2016 (Already graded by PCGS)

Rev. 3/30/2016
View Coin 1918(P)-5C PERU - DECIMAL 5C 1918 KM-213.1 NGC UNC Details Peru - 1918 5 Centavos - KM 213.1 - Mintage: 4,000,000

Minted by the Philadelphia Mint for circulation in Peru

Date acquired: 12/14/2007 (Raw Coin)
Date graded: 5/4/2023 (Self submitted to NGC)

Rev 5/12/2023
View Coin 1918(P)-10C PERU - DECIMAL 10C 1918 KM-214.1 NGC UNC Details Peru - 1918 10 Centavos - KM-214.1 - Mintage: 3,000,000
Note that the date is spelled out in Spanish as: UN MIL NOVECIENTOS DIECIOCHO

This coin was minted by the Philadelphia Mint for circulation in Peru.

Date acquired: 6/20/2008 (Raw Coin)
Date graded: 5/4/2023 (Self submitted to NGC)

Rev 5/14/2023
View Coin 1918(P)-20C PERU - DECIMAL 20C 1918 KM-215.1 NGC MS 61 Peru - 1918 20 Centavos - KM-215.1 - Mintage: 2,500,000
Note that the date is spelled out in Spanish as: UN MIL NOVECIENTOS DIECIOCHO

This coin was minted by the Philadelphia Mint for circulation in Peru.

Date acquired: 2/17/2009 (Raw Coin)
Date graded: 5/4/2023 (Self submitted to NGC)

Rev 5/12/2023
View Coin 1919(P)-1C PERU - DECIMAL 1C 1919 KM-187.2 NGC MS 63 BN Peru - 1919 1 Centavo - KM #187.2 - Mintage: 4,000,000

Although there is no mint mark on this coin, this coin was produced by the US Mint in Philadelphia for circulation in Peru. The composition of the coin is 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc.

Date acquired: 1/7/2007 (Already graded by NGC)

Rev. 1/16/2016
View Coin 1919(P)-2C PERU - DECIMAL 2C 1919 KM-A212 R.L. LISSNER COLLECTION NGC MS 65 RB Peru - 1919 2 Centavos - KM #A212 - Mintage: 3,000,000

Minted by the US Mint in Philadelphia for circulation in Peru. From the famous R.L. Lissner Collection.

Date acquired: 12/23/2014 (Already graded by NGC)

Rev. 1/1/2015
View Coin 1919(P)-5C PERU - DECIMAL 5C 1919 KM-213.1 NGC MS 62 Peru - 1919 5 Centavos - KM 213.1 - Mintage: 10,000,000

Minted by the Philadelphia Mint for circulation in Peru

Date acquired: 5/13/2009 (Already graded by NGC)

Rev. 1/16/2016
View Coin 1919(P)-10C PERU - DECIMAL 10C 1919 KM-214.1 NGC AU 58 Peru - 1919 10 Centavos - KM-214.1 - Mintage: 2,500,000
Note that the date is spelled out in Spanish as: UN MIL NOVECIENTOS DIECINUEVE

This coin was minted by the Philadelphia Mint for circulation in Peru.

Date acquired: 4/15/2007 (Raw Coin)
Date graded: 5/4/2023 (Self submitted to NGC)

Rev 5/12/2023
View Coin 1919(P)-20C PERU - DECIMAL 20C 1919 KM-215.1 NGC UNC Details Peru - 1919 20 Centavos - KM-215.1 - Mintage: 1,250,000
Note that the date is spelled out in Spanish as: UN MIL NOVECIENTOS DIECINUEVE

This coin was minted by the Philadelphia Mint for circulation in Peru.

Date acquired: 12/14/2007 (Raw Coin)
Date graded: 5/4/2023 (Self submitted to NGC)

Rev 5/12/2023
View Coin 1920(P)-10C PERU - DECIMAL 10C 1920 KM-214.1 NGC MS 65 Peru - 1920 10 Centavos - KM-214.1 - Mintage: 3,080,000
Note that the date is spelled out in Spanish as: UN MIL NOVECIENTOS VEINTE

This coin was minted by the Philadelphia Mint for circulation in Peru. This is a really beautiful coin. It is very well struck with very clean surfaces. Note also the small die crack on the reverse extending from the rim through the "OS" in "CENTAVOS."

Date acquired: 8/29/2019 (already graded by NGC)

Rev. 9/5/2019
View Coin 1920(P)-20C PERU - DECIMAL 20C 1920 KM-215.1 NGC MS 63 Peru - 1920 20 Centavos - KM #215.1 - Mintage: 1,464,000

Although there is no mint mark, this coin was produced by the US Mint in Philadelphia for circulation in Peru.

Date acquired: 8/27/2019 (Already graded by NGC)

Rev. 8/27/2019
View Coin 1921(P)-10C PERU - DECIMAL 10C 1921 KM-214.1 NGC MS 61 Peru - 1921 10 Centavos - KM-214.1 - Mintage: 6,920,000
Note that the date is spelled out in Spanish as: UN MIL NOVECIENTOS VEINTIUNO

This coin was minted by the Philadelphia Mint for circulation in Peru.

Date acquired: 2/28/2009 (Raw Coin)
Date graded: 5/4/2023 (Self submitted to NGC)

Rev 5/14/2023
View Coin 1921(P)-20C PERU - DECIMAL 20C 1921 KM-215.1 NGC MS 63 Peru - 1921 20 Centavos - KM #215.1 - Mintage: 8,536,000

Although there is no mint mark, this coin was produced by the US Mint in Philadelphia for circulation in Peru.

Date acquired: 8/27/2019 (Already graded by NGC)

Rev. 8/27/2019
View Coin 1923(P)-5C PERU - DECIMAL 5C 1923 KM-213.1 NGC AU 55 Peru - 1923 5 Centavos - KM 213.1 - Mintage: 2,000,000

Minted by the Philadelphia Mint for circulation in Peru

Date acquired: 11/13/2010 (Raw Coin)
Date graded: 5/4/2023 (Self submitted to NGC)

Rev 5/14/2023
View Coin 1923(P)-SOL PERU - DECIMAL SOL 1923(PHILA.) "LIBERTAD" INCUSE KM-218.1 NGC AU 58 Peru - 1923(PHILA.) "LIBERTAD" Incuse- (KM #218.1) - Mintage: 2,369,000

Composition: Silver
Fineness: 0.5000
Weight: 25.0000g
ASW: 0.4019oz
Diameter: 37mm

Struck by the Philadelphia mint for circulation in Peru. The Philadelphia and Lima strikings may be distinguished by the size of the letters in the legend. "FIRME Y FELIZ POR LA UNION" which are smaller on the coins produced by the Philadelphia mint. All however identify the Lima mint.

The legend "FIRME Y FELIZ POR LA UNION" which translates to "Firm and Happy for the Union" first appeared on Peruvian silver coinage with the 8 reales in 1825.

Date acquired: 7/5/2009 (Raw coin)
Date graded: 9/24/2019 (Self submitted to NGC)

Ref. 10/19/2019
View Coin 1924(P)-SOL PERU - DECIMAL SOL 1924 SMALL LETTERS KM-218.1 NGC AU 55 Peru - 1924(PHILA.) "LIBERTAD" Incuse- (KM #218.1) - Mintage: 3,113,196

Composition: Silver
Fineness: 0.5000
Weight: 25.0000g
ASW: 0.4019oz
Diameter: 37mm

Struck by the Philadelphia mint for circulation in Peru. The Philadelphia and Lima strikings may be distinguished by the size of the letters in the legend. "FIRME Y FELIZ POR LA UNION" which are smaller on the coins produced by the Philadelphia mint. All however identify the Lima mint.

The legend "FIRME Y FELIZ POR LA UNION" which translates to "Firm and Happy for the Union" first appeared on Peruvian silver coinage with the 8 reales in 1825.

Date acquired: 11/1/2021 (raw coin)
Date graded: 8/19/2022 (self submitted to NGC)

Rev. 10/21/2022
View Coin 1924/823(P)-SOL PERU - DECIMAL SOL 1924/823 SMALL LETTERS KM-218.1 NGC AU 58 Peru - 1924/823 (PHILA.) "LIBERTAD" Incuse, Small Letters - (KM #218.1) - Mintage: 3,113,000 (all varieties)

Composition: Silver
Fineness: 0.5000
Weight: 25.0000g
ASW: 0.4019oz
Diameter: 37mm

Struck by the Philadelphia mint for circulation in Peru. The Philadelphia and Lima strikings may be distinguished by the size of the letters in the legend. "FIRME Y FELIZ POR LA UNION" which are smaller on the coins produced by the Philadelphia mint. All however identify the Lima mint on the reverse.

The legend "FIRME Y FELIZ POR LA UNION" which translates to "Firm and Happy for the Union" first appeared on Peruvian silver coinage with the 8 reales in 1825.

Varieties
-----------
1924 - Normal date
1924/823 - Repunched date (this coin)
1924/824 - Repunched date


Date acquired: 9/29/2014 (Raw coin)
Date graded: 9/24/2019 (Self submitted to NGC)

Ref. 10/19/2019
View Coin 1924/824(P)-SOL PERU - DECIMAL SOL 1924/824 SMALL LETTERS KM-218.1 NGC XF 45 Peru - 1924/824(PHILA.) "LIBERTAD" Incuse- (KM #218.1) - Mintage: 3,113,196

Composition: Silver
Fineness: 0.5000
Weight: 25.0000g
ASW: 0.4019oz
Diameter: 37mm

Struck by the Philadelphia mint for circulation in Peru. The Philadelphia and Lima strikings may be distinguished by the size of the letters in the legend. "FIRME Y FELIZ POR LA UNION" which are smaller on the coins produced by the Philadelphia mint. All however identify the Lima mint.

The legend "FIRME Y FELIZ POR LA UNION" which translates to "Firm and Happy for the Union" first appeared on Peruvian silver coinage with the 8 reales in 1825.

Date acquired: 8/2/2007 (Raw coin)
Date graded: 8/6/2020 (Self submitted to NGC)

Ref. 9/6/2020
View Coin 1925(P)-SOL PERU - DECIMAL SOL 1925 SMALL LETTERS KM-218.1 NGC AU 58 Peru - 1925 (PHILA.) "LIBERTAD" Incuse, Small Letters - (KM #218.1) - Mintage: 1,291,000

Composition: Silver
Fineness: 0.5000
Weight: 25.0000g
ASW: 0.4019oz
Diameter: 37mm

Struck by the Philadelphia mint for circulation in Peru. The Philadelphia and Lima strikings may be distinguished by the size of the letters in the legend. "FIRME Y FELIZ POR LA UNION" which are smaller on the coins produced by the Philadelphia mint. All however identify the Lima mint on the reverse.

The legend "FIRME Y FELIZ POR LA UNION" which translates to "Firm and Happy for the Union" first appeared on Peruvian silver coinage with the 8 reales in 1825.

Date acquired: 11/22/2007 (Raw coin)
Date graded: 7/27/2020 (Self submitted to NGC)

Ref. 9/6/2020
View Coin 1926(P)-5C PERU - DECIMAL 5C 1926 KM-213.1 NGC AU 50 Peru - 1926 5 Centavos - KM 213.1 - Mintage: 4,000,000

Minted by the Philadelphia Mint for circulation in Peru

Date acquired: 3/8/2008 (Raw Coin)
Date graded: 5/4/2023 (Self submitted to NGC)

Rev 5/12/2023
View Coin 1926(P)-10C PERU - DECIMAL 10C 1926 KM-214.1 NGC AU Details Peru - 1926 10 Centavos - KM-214.1 - Mintage: 3,000,000
Note that the date is spelled out in Spanish as: UN MIL NOVECIENTOS EINTISEIS

This coin was minted by the Philadelphia Mint for circulation in Peru.

Date acquired: 4/15/2007 (Raw Coin)
Date graded: 5/4/2023 (Self submitted to NGC)

Rev 5/14/2023
View Coin 1926(P)-20C PERU - DECIMAL 20C 1926 KM-215.1 NGC MS 61 Peru - 1926 20 Centavos - KM-215.1 - Mintage: 2,500,000
Note that the date is spelled out in Spanish as: UN MIL NOVECIENTOS VEINTISEIS

This coin was minted by the Philadelphia Mint for circulation in Peru.

Date acquired: 11/15/2007 (Raw Coin)
Date graded: 5/4/2023 (Self submitted to NGC)

Rev 5/14/2023
View Coin 1926(P)-SOL PERU - DECIMAL SOL 1926 KM-218.1 NGC MS 62 Peru - 1926 (PHILA.) "LIBERTAD" Incuse, Small Letters - (KM #218.1) - Mintage: 2,157,000

Composition: Silver
Fineness: 0.5000
Weight: 25.0000g
ASW: 0.4019oz
Diameter: 37mm

Struck by the Philadelphia mint for circulation in Peru. The Philadelphia and Lima strikings may be distinguished by the size of the letters in the legend. "FIRME Y FELIZ POR LA UNION" which are smaller on the coins produced by the Philadelphia mint. All however identify the Lima mint on the reverse.

The legend "FIRME Y FELIZ POR LA UNION" which translates to "Firm and Happy for the Union" first appeared on Peruvian silver coinage with the 8 reales in 1825.

Date acquired: 10/21/2007 (Raw coin)
Date graded: 9/24/2019 (Self submitted to NGC)

Ref. 10/19/2019
View Coin 1942(P)-5C PERU - DECIMAL 5C 1942 KM-213.2a.1 NGC MS 65 Peru - 1942 5 Centavos - KM-213.2a.1 - Mintage: 4,000,000
Note that the date is spelled out in Spanish as: MIL NOVECIENTOS CUARENTA Y DOS

This coin was minted by the Philadelphia Mint during World War II for circulation in Peru from brass recovered from artillery shell casings. There is no mint mark on this coin.

Date acquired: 5/3/2009 (Raw coin)
Date graded: 9/30/2019 (Self submitted to NGC)

Rev. 10/7/2019
View Coin 1942S-5C PERU - DECIMAL 5C 1942S KM-213.2a.2 NGC MS 65 Peru - 1942S 5 Centavos - KM-213.2a.2 - Mintage: 4,000,000
Note that the date is spelled out in Spanish as: MIL NOVECIENTOS CUARENTA Y DOS

This coin was minted by the San Francisco Mint during World War II for circulation in Peru from brass recovered from artillery shell casings. The "S" mint mark appears just below the word CENTAVOS on the reverse.

Date acquired: 11/12/2015 (already graded by NGC)

Rev. 11/12/2015
View Coin 1942(P)-10C PERU - DECIMAL 10C 1942(PHILA.) 214a.1 NGC MS 64 Peru - 1942(P) 10 Centavos - KM 214a.1 - Mintage: 2,000,000

Minted by the Philadelphia Mint for circulation in Peru during World War II.

Date acquired: 1/25/2019 (Already graded by NGC)

Rev. 1/26/2019
View Coin 1942S-10C PERU - DECIMAL 10C 1942S KM-214a.2 NGC MS 65 Peru - 1942S 10 Centavos - KM-214a.2 - Mintage: 2,000,000
Note that the date is spelled out in Spanish as: MIL NOVECIENTOS CUARENTA Y DOS

This coin was minted by the Philadelphia Mint during World War II for circulation in Peru from brass recovered from artillery shell casings. The"S" mintmark appears on the reverse below the word CENTAVOS.

Date acquired: 11/23/2007 (Raw coin)
Date graded: 9/30/2019 (Self submitted to NGC)

Rev. 10/27/2019
View Coin 1942(P)-20C PERU - DECIMAL 20C 1942(PHILA.) KM-215a.1 NGC AU Details Peru - 1942 20 Centavos - KM-215a.1 - Mintage: 500,000
Note that the date is spelled out in Spanish as: MIL NOVECIENTOS CUARENTA Y DOS

This coin was minted by the Philadelphia Mint during World War II for circulation in Peru from brass recovered from artillery shell casings. There is no mint mark on this coin.

Date acquired: 3/11/2007 (Raw coin)
Date graded: 7/27/2020 (Self submitted to NGC)

Rev. 9/6/2020
View Coin 1942S-20C PERU - DECIMAL 20C 1942S KM-215a.2 NGC AU Details Peru - 1942 20 Centavos - KM-215a.2 - Mintage: 500,000
Note that the date is spelled out in Spanish as: MIL NOVECIENTOS CUARENTA Y DOS

This coin was minted by the San Francisco Mint during World War II for circulation in Peru from brass recovered from artillery shell casings. The "S" mint mark appears directly below the denomination on the reverse.

Date acquired: 10/9/2008 (Raw coin)
Date graded: 7/27/2020 (Self submitted to NGC)

Rev. 9/6/2020
View Coin 1942(P)-1/2S PERU - DECIMAL 1/2S 1942(PHILA.) KM-220.2 NGC MS 64 Peru - 1942 1/2 Sol - KM-220.2 - Mintage: 4,000,000

This coin was minted by the Philadelphia Mint during World War II for circulation in Peru from brass recovered from artillery shell casings. There is no mint mark on this coin.

There are many varieties of 1/2 sols for 1942, with quite a few differentiating characteristics. The most definitive though in determining whether the coin was minted in Philadelphia or not is the number of palm fronds to the left of the llama in the national coat of arms. The coins minted in Philadelphia have 5 while all others have only 3.

Sources
  1. Flatt, Horace P., "Peruvian Half-Sol Coins, 1935-1965" The Numismatist, Vol 95, No. 1 1982, pp. 41-49.
  2. Flatt, Horace P., "Peruvian Centavos," The Numismatist, Vol 97, No. 2 1984, pp. 254-261.
Date acquired: 4/3/2008 (Raw coin)
Date graded: 9/30/2019 (Self submitted to NGC)

Rev. 10/27/2019
View Coin 1943(P)-5C PERU - DECIMAL 5C 1943 KM-213.2a.1 NGC MS 64 Peru - 1943 5 Centavos - KM-213.2a.1 - Mintage: 4,000,000
Note that the date is spelled out in Spanish as: MIL NOVECIENTOS CUARENTA Y TRES

This coin was minted by the Philadelphia Mint during World War II for circulation in Peru from brass recovered from artillery shell casings. There is no mint mark on this coin.

Date acquired: 3/7/2011 (Raw coin)
Date graded: 9/30/2019 (Self submitted to NGC)

Rev. 9/30/2019
View Coin 1943S-5C PERU - DECIMAL 5C 1943S KM-213.2a.2 NGC MS 65 Peru - 1943S 5 Centavos - KM-213.2a.2 - Mintage: 4,000,000
Note that the date is spelled out in Spanish as: MIL NOVECIENTOS CUARENTA Y TRES

This coin was minted by the San Francisco Mint during World War II for circulation in Peru from brass recovered from artillery shell casings. The "S" mint mark appears below the word CENTAVOS on the reverse.

Date acquired: 10/7/2014 (Raw coin)
Date graded: 9/30/2019 (Self submitted to NGC)

Rev. 10/26/2019
1943(P)-10C PERU - DECIMAL 10C 1943 (PHILA.) WRITTEN DATE KM-214a.1 Peru - 1943 10 Centavos - KM #214a.1 - Mintage: 4,000,000
Note that the date is written as: MIL NOVECIENTOS CUARENTA Y TRES, not to be confused with MIL NOVECIENTOS CUARENTA I TRES which were NOT struck by the Philadelphia Mint.

Minted by the Philadelphia Mint for circulation in Peru.

Date acquired: 4/12/2008 (raw coin)

Rev. 5/14/2023
View Coin 1943S-10C PERU - DECIMAL 10C 1943S KM-214a.2 NGC MS 62 Peru - 1943S 10 Centavos - KM-214a.2 - Mintage: 2,000,000
Note that the date is spelled out in Spanish as: MIL NOVECIENTOS CUARENTA Y TRES

This coin was minted by the San Francisco Mint during World War II for circulation in Peru from brass recovered from artillery shell casings. The"S" mint mark appears on the reverse below the word CENTAVOS.

Date acquired: 8/23/2010 (Raw coin)
Date graded: 8/4/2020 (Self submitted to NGC)

Rev. 8/7/2020
View Coin 1943(P)-20C PERU - DECIMAL 20C 1943(PHILA.) KM-215a.1 NGC MS 64 Peru - 1943 20 Centavos - KM-215a.1 - Mintage: 500,000
Note that the date is spelled out in Spanish as: MIL NOVECIENTOS CUARENTA Y TRES

This coin was minted by the Philadelphia Mint during World War II for circulation in Peru from brass recovered from artillery shell casings. There is no mint mark on this coin.

Date acquired: 4/3/2008 (Raw coin)
Date graded: 9/30/2019 (Self submitted to NGC)

Rev. 10/26/2019
View Coin 1943S-20C PERU - DECIMAL 20C 1943S KM-215a.2 NGC AU 58 Peru - 1943S 20 Centavos - KM-215a.2 - Mintage: 500,000
Note that the date is spelled out in Spanish as: MIL NOVECIENTOS CUARENTA Y TRES

This coin was minted by the San Francisco Mint during World War II for circulation in Peru from brass recovered from artillery shell casings. The "S" mint mark appears directly below the denomination on the reverse.

Date acquired: 10/9/2008 (Raw coin)
Date graded: 7/27/2020 (Self submitted to NGC)

Rev. 9/6/2020
View Coin 1943(P)-1/2SOL PERU - DECIMAL 1/2S 1943(PHILA.) KM-220.2 NGC MS 66 Peru - 1943 1/2 Sol - KM-220.2 - Mintage: 2,000,000


This coin was minted by the Philadelphia Mint during World War II for circulation in Peru from brass recovered from artillery shell casings. There is no mint mark on this coin.

There are many varieties of 1/2 sols for 1943, with quite a few differentiating characteristics. The most definitive though in determining whether the coin was minted in Philadelphia or not is the number of palm fronds to the left of the llama in the national coat of arms. The coins minted in Philadelphia have 5 while all others have only 3.

Date acquired: 4/3/2008 (Raw coin)
Date graded: 9/30/2019 (Self submitted to NGC)

Rev. 10/27/2019
View Coin 1943S-1/2SOL PERU - DECIMAL 1/2S 1943S KM-220.3 NGC AU 55 Peru - 1943S 1/2 Sol - KM-220.3 - Mintage: 6,332,000

This coin was minted by the San Francisco Mint during World War II for circulation in Peru from brass recovered from artillery shell casings. The "S" mint mark appears at the very bottom of the reverse below the wreath.

There are many varieties of 1/2 sols for 1943, with quite a few differentiating characteristics. The most definitive though in determining whether the coin was minted by a U.S. mint or not is the number of palm fronds to the left of the llama in the national coat of arms. U.S. minted coins have 5 while all others have only 3. Of course, the "S" mint mark says it all for this coin.

Date acquired: 5/31/2019 (Raw coin)
Date graded: 9/30/2019 (Self submitted to NGC)

Rev. 10/27/2019
View Coin 1943(P)-SOL PERU - DECIMAL SOL 1943 KM-222 NGC MS 64 Peru - 1943 Un Sol - KM-222 - Mintage: 5,000,000

This coin was minted by the Philadelphia Mint during World War II for circulation in Peru from brass recovered from artillery shell casings. There is no mint mark on this coin.

Date acquired: 5/8/2008 (Raw coin)
Date graded: 9/30/2019 (Self submitted to NGC)

Rev. 10/27/2019
View Coin 1944(P)-5C PERU - DECIMAL 5C 1944(PHILA.) KM-213.2a.1 NGC MS 64 Peru - 1944 5 Centavos - KM-213.2a.1 - Mintage: 8,000,000
Note that the date is spelled out in Spanish as: MIL NOVECIENTOS CUARENTA Y QUATRO

This coin was minted by the Philadelphia Mint during World War II for circulation in Peru from brass recovered from artillery shell casings. There is no mint mark on this coin.

Date acquired: 3/7/2011 (Raw coin)
Date graded: 9/30/2019 (Self submitted to NGC)

Rev. 10/26/2019
View Coin 1944(P)-10C PERU - DECIMAL 10C 1944(PHILA.) KM-214a.1 NGC UNC Details Peru - 1944 10 Centavos - KM-214a.2 - Mintage: 4,000,000
Note that the date is spelled out in Spanish as: MIL NOVECIENTOS CUARENTA Y QUATRO

This coin was minted by the Philadelphia Mint during World War II for circulation in Peru from brass recovered from artillery shell casings. There is no mint mark on the reverse below the word CENTAVOS.

Date acquired: 5/28/2009 (Raw coin)
Date graded: 8/4/2020 (Self submitted to NGC)

Rev 9/5/2020
1944(P)-20C PERU - DECIMAL 20C 1944(PHILA.) WRITTEN DATE KM-215a.1 Peru - 1944 20 Centavos - KM #215a.1 - Mintage: 500,000
Note that the date is written as: MIL NOVECIENTOS CUARENTA Y CUATRO, not to be confused with MIL NOVECIENTOS CUARENTA I CUATRO which were NOT struck by the Philadelphia Mint.

Minted by the Philadelphia Mint for circulation in Peru.

Date acquired: 3/20/2008 (raw coin)

Rev. 5/14/2023
View Coin 1944(P)-1/2SOL PERU - DECIMAL 1/2S 1944(PHILA.) KM-220.2 NGC MS 64 Peru - 1944 1/2 Sol - KM-220.2 - Mintage: 4,000,000

This coin was minted by the San Francisco Mint during World War II for circulation in Peru from brass recovered from artillery shell casings. There is no mint mark on this coin.

There are many varieties of 1/2 sols for 1944, with quite a few differentiating characteristics. The most definitive though in determining whether the coin was minted by a U.S. mint or not is the number of palm fronds to the left of the llama in the national coat of arms. U.S. minted coins have 5 while all others have only 3.

Date acquired: 9/18/2009 (Raw coin)
Date graded: 9/30/2019 (Self submitted to NGC)

Rev. 10/27/2019
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