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8-REALES PILLAR VARIANTS
MINT OF GUATEMALA

GENERAL DESIGN CONCEPT :

Obverse : Crowned hemispheres between crowned Pillars of Hercules. Inscription VTRAQUE VNUM (Union of two worlds), with mint marks at 4- & 8-o'clock, and year of mintage at the bottom.
Reverse : Crowned quarter arms of Castile and Leon bearing the Bourbon crest in center, "8" to the right and assayer's initial to the left. Inscription [monarch's name]·D·G·HISPAN·ET IND·REX* ([monarch's name], by the grace of God,
King of Spain and the indies/colonies).

Guatemala was part of the Vice-Royalty of Nueva España. Although Guatemala Mint adapted the pillar design early, it was minting the design on irregularly cut flans, or macuquinas (cobs). These hammered coins were struck between 1733 to 1753. It was not only until 1754 that the milled coinage were started to be struck..

The coins have silver fineness of .916 (11 dineros). Average coin diameter is 37 mm.

Design Variation Concepts for Guatemala Mint
YR/YR-AM-123M.abc YR - the last two digit of the year appearing on the specimen. There are some cases where YR becomes YR/YR, and these are overstrikes. Example are specimen of 1756/5 overstrike.
  AM - the assayer mark which appears on the reverse of the coin

 

1 -the monarch's name appearing at the reverse inscription  (please note that there is NO "-1" variety, since that number is fixedly reserved for PHILIP V's specimens.
2 : FERDIND·VI 3 : CAROLUS·III
  2
0 or space : "VTRAQUE" in single word 1 : VTRA" "QUE" in two words. The crown is highly elevated over the two globes which are also highly elevated over the waves 2 : VTRA" "QUE" in two words. The crown and the globes are less elevated compared with "1".
  3 - employed in 1750's varieties to differentiate the use of unimposing "J" versus a bold "J" assayer mark on the reverse of the coin.
  4 - employed starting in 1769 to differentiate the smaller flan variety.
  M or C - employed in 1754 varieties to differentiate Modern or Colonial date style
  .abc - specifies errors or minor die variations compared to the standard mint design

Note that the cross ("+") on the crowned crest of Spain on the reverse always falls between "HI" and "SP" (relative to Mexico's variants); and the crown on the left pillar (on the obverse) remain the royal crown type all throughout the Guatemala variants.


   VARIANTS

Other No System

Sample Lot

Remarks
Elizondo Calbeto Patterson Amat

54-J-2M

guat54.jpg (28434 bytes)
DESIGN VARIATION CODE : -2
OBVERSE : G mintmark guatemala.gif (3138 bytes),  "VTRAQUE" as one word; large main crown has an incomplete lower ellipse; royal crowns on both pillars. There are die variation on the placement of the tip of the left crown in relation to the inscription "VTRAQUE", as well as the prominence of the lower ellipse of the main crown. The year is of Arabic- or Modern- type (-$$[space]$).

REVERSE : inscription “FERDIND·VI·D·G·HISPAN·ET IND·REX”, with obvious space between “ET” and “IND”; "HI" + "SPAN" separation; assayer mark “J”(small size "J") (-$$$[space]); bottom 4-petal rosette. Please note the spelling of "FERDIND" vs. "FERDND" (Mexico).

Assayer "J": Jose de Leon Y Losa
1 158 299 155 KM#18. The number "5" is of Arabic Type. This is the first year of minting of Pillar for this mint.
About 5 to 10 specimens are known to still exist.

54-J-2C

2 159 300 & 302 156 the design of the the year was changed from Modern- or Arabic to  Spanish- or Colonial-type (.C)   [compared with Variant 54-J-2.M] All succeeding years uses the colonial-type number.
About 10 to 15 specimens are known to still exist.

55-J-2

- - 303 - Lot 128 FLC Nov-1981.
About 15 to 20 specimens are known to still exist.

55-J-201

DESIGN VARIATION CODE : -201
OBVERSE : year of Spanish- or Colonial-type.
REVERSE : the assayer mark "J" is bigger (-$$1) compared to Variant 54-J-2, and has fishtails on the letter. The large and bold "J" started being employed in mid-1755
3 161 305 157 About 25 to 35 specimens are known to still exist.

56-J-201

6 162 309 158 About 75 to 100 specimens are known to still exist.

56/5-J-201

- - 308 - Lot 193 EOrtiz
About 5 to 10 specimens are known to still exist.

57-J-201

- - 311 - see image   About 75 to 100 specimens are known to still exist.

57-J-201.p

7 163 - 159 p=reverse marginal inscription is withount the dot punctuation (error die)

58-J-201

- - 317 -

58-J-201.s

- - - - s=no obvious spacing between "ET" and "IND" on the reverse marginal inscription. "+" is below the "I" of HISPAN

58-J-211

DESIGN VARIATION CODE : -211
OBVERSE : the "VTRA" "QUE" was separated into two words, the latter occupying the top-most position of the coin. The large main crown is elevated considerably over the globes, which are also elevated over the waves. (-$1$)
This is the start of crude minting style.
8 164 313 160 Lot 108 LHRC-43 May-1988
Relatively common with 100+ specimens are known to still exist.

59-P-21

Assayer "P":   Pedro Sanchez Guzman

10

167

318 161 (-$$1) is dropped since assayer mark in consitently bold "P"
About 75 to 100 specimens are known to still exist.

60-P-21

11 168 321 & 322 162 About 25 to 35 specimens are known to still exist.

60-P-31

DESIGN VARIATION CODE : -31
Design similar with the Variant 60-J-23, except that REVERSE inscription (-3$)“CAROLVS·III·D·G·HISPAN·ET IND·REX”, with obvious space between “ET” and “IND".
12 169 358 163 Lot 526 Iriarte
About 15 to 20 specimens are known to still exist.

60-P-31.s0

- - 359 - s0=small "0" relative to variant "60-P-31"

61-P-31

13 170 360 164 Lot 110 LHRC-43 May-1988; Lot 527 Iriarte
wider spaced "QUE"
About 75 to 100 specimens are known to still exist.

62-P-31

14 171 363 165 Lot 528 Iriarte
Relatively common with 100+ specimens are known to still exist.

63-P-31

15 172 367 166 Lot 529 Iriarte
Relatively common with 100+ specimens are known to still exist.

64-P-31

16 173 369 167 Lot 530 Iriarte
About 25 to 35 specimens are known to still exist.

65-P-31

17 174 - 168 modern style "5".
About 5 to 10 specimens are known to still exist.

66-P-31

18 175 371 169 Lot 531 Iriarte
About 25 to 35 specimens are known to still exist.

67-P-31

19 176 374 170 Lot 532 Iriarte
About 25 to 35 specimens are known to still exist.

68-P-31

20 177 377 171 Lot 533 Iriarte
Relatively common with more than 250 specimens are known to still exist.

69-P-31.w

21 var 179 381 172 w=wide. far spaced "9" (large or standard flan). Lot 534 Iriarte
About 15 to 20 specimens are known to still exist.

69-P-3101

- - 385 -
DESIGN VARIATION CODE : -3101
The overall size of the coin is smaller [-$$$1], but still weighs the same. [small flan]

KM# 27.2. normal spaced "9"
About 75 to 100 specimens are known to still exist.

69-P-3101.w

21 178 384 173 far spaced "9"

70-P-3101

22 180 386 174 Lot 227 EOrtiz.. ; Lot 535 Iriarte
Fairly common with about 100 to 250 specimens are known to still exist.

71-P-3101

23 182 388 175 Lot 536 Iriarte
Fairly common with about 100 to 150 specimens are known to still exist.

....


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Copyright 1998.  JTChen (Philippines) and CJara (Chile)