Bolivian Republic Minor Coinage (1827-1863) Master Thread
SimonW
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I would like to start a perpetual discussion about the Bolivian Republic Coinage (1827-1863.) The minor coinage doesn't get a lot of attention, which is good and bad in different ways, mostly good because I can pick-up really rare coins with very little competition, bad because there's not a whole lot of information about these coins. The 8 Soles are important too, and owing to the fact that most owners of Bolivian republic coinage have a single example and it's in the 8 sol category, I have decided to create a separate thread for just those coins, so as to not turn this thread into a 8 sol thread.
This thread is about education. Feel free to post pics, that's very welcome, but if you know anything about the coin, that's even better. I'm trying to expand my own knowledge and hopefully the knowledge of anyone who reads this also!
I fully realize this may turn into a thread that I alone post on, and that's ok, lol!
So here's my first pic. This is a coin from the La Paz mint. 1855 1/2 sol, it's a little guy, Graded AU50 by our host. This is frequently referred to as the "Ugly Head" because, well, it's ugly. This is deemed "rare" in Krause, but I don't think it's quite rare enough to deserve that appellation. It is certainly quite uncommon, this isn't the highest graded one out there, but it is quite a nice example. They don't come up all that often. There is a another version of this date from the La Paz mint, which is a little more common, sometimes referred to as the "Paz Head" (as seen below)
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Comments
I recently picked up this Paz 4 Soles.
It's an interesting series and one that I'm happy to learn more about.
Peace
Nice!
For anyone not familiar with this issue, it tends to come very well struck on the bust, as in this case, frequently it also has a healthy dose of die rust in front of Bolivar’s face, as seen here. A nice grade. An uncommon piece.
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Latin American Collection
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Oops!
Latin American Collection
Here’s a fun one!
1855 4 sol with “constitucin” error! It’s a tough variety. Bought this through a fellow Bolivia Republic collector. They’re pretty tough to find. One on eBay right now.
Somebody probably got fired over that mistake! Below is the corrected version.
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1858/7 Sol, La Paz mint. This is the less common of the two major varieties. Both the overdate and the plain date carry the same assayer’s mark, FJ.
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I just received this in the post and looks very nice in hand.
A little toned problem free 1 Sol 1828.
Peace
@Coinlover101 that’s a very attractive piece! One date I don’t have yet.
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This is the elusive 1827 2 soles. I’ve yet to find a really nice example, I have found two somewhat impaired pieces, however. One a straight grade despite some old toned over scratches , the other a VF details for tooling (I’d personally call it an XF.)
NGC census lists:
Straight Graded: VG and an MS62
Details: VF, AU and UNC
PCGS census lists:
Straight Graded: F12 (shown below) VF35
Details: VF (possibly more, they don’t seem to list details coins.)
A couple of these might be resubmissions, so we’re looking at 8 in TPG census, maybe as few as 6. A long time Bolivia collector I know thinks the survival rates are in the ten to twenty piece range, I think it’s more than that, but not by a lot, it’s a fairly rare coin.
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This is the little sister to the coin above. The only one I’ve been offered or seen for sale is the coin seen here. I’m not aware of any major varieties for this denomination and date, but studying the die varieties will be interesting, to see if anything major pops up.
Seemingly fairly rare, but there are some really nice high grade examples out there, which seems opposite from the 2 Sol version.
A very pretty example for the grade, PCGS VF30, I hope to upgrade eventually.
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These later date 1/2 Sol coins can be quite attractive. They seem to be available enough to satisfy current collector demand in grades up through choice uncirculated condition with a little patience. They tend to come with oodles of luster and, when toned are frequently quite charming. Strikes are kinda mushy, but I think that's just the design rather than the strike. Maybe some of both.
This one is an MS63 from the Dr. Parra collection. 1862. There's an overdate variety, an 1862/1, as well.
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This is another tough one. 1854 PAZ 2 Sol, F-VF in grade. Probably the most available of the 2 Sol coins from the Paz mint. Very tough though. A dozen or so certified between the two services.
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1854 MJ, PotosÍ, 2 Sol, PCGS AU50
A solid state of preservation. These show up occasionally it seems, but not with any regularity. As with most coins in this series, higher grades are much less common. If you look through the grading censuses however, you'll note that this is the lowest graded coin:
PCGS: AU50, MS63
NGC: MS62, MS63
While that might make one think that this issue is more abundant in higher grades, it really isn't. It's a function of people not sending in coins that won't increase the value commensurately by the act of certification. It's a cheap coin that doesn't trade very often. In three years this is the only one I have seen available for purchase, I got it for a measly $57. I'm a buyer all day long for any AU problem free 2 Sol coin at $57. I've said this before, but 2 Sol coins are by far the rarest of all the denominations, it's a very challenging set to attempt, let alone complete. This set will be a very long time in the making. I recently had this certified, and I think the grade fits nicely.
This is seemingly a coin from later in the die's career. Die chips and minor cracks have started to form. Makes for an interesting study. I do not know how many die pairs were used, but this one wouldn't have lasted a whole lot longer, I should think.
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Very nice coin Simon
And thank you for all the information that you provide regarding this series.
Edit. I'll just leave this here from the 8 Sol thread. Where did all the coins go?
Peace
Here is a little more information about mintage figures etc.
http://numismatics.org/digitallibrary/ark:/53695/nnan75697
Peace
That’s an interesting read, thank you
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This 1855 MJ 4 Sol arrived today.
Sellers pictures weren't great, so it was a bit of a gamble buying this, but picked it up for a good price. My pictures aren't great but at least this is what the coin looks like. There's actually a tiny bit of toning amongst the letters on the reverse ( not showing in photos).
Peace
^ Just to know a little bit - I have zero coins of this type, so for one of the same year in a little better condition that goes for $75 bucks is in a deal or the normal on a coin like this, raw.
@Eluis $75 for a nice AU sounds about right
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Thank you SimonW - Good to know, maybe one of these days will buy one.
This is a cool coin, highest grade for the variety, possibly for the date, I’ll have to double check.
1 Sol, inverted V variety.
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