Catalog
1/2 Escudo Costa Rica
| Issuer | Federal Republic of Central America |
|---|---|
| Year | 1825 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1/2 Escudo (8) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A ceiba tree occupies the central field, dividing the denomination numeral on either side, a design emblematic of the Central American federation. The outer legend bears the national motto. Below the tree, the mint mark, assayer's initial, and gold fineness are inscribed in the exergue, identifying the Costa Rica mint, the assayer, and the 21-karat purity of the gold. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The Federal Republic of Central America was barely two years old when this piece was struck. The federation had formally separated from Mexico in 1823 after Iturbide's empire collapsed, inheriting the colonial mint infrastructure at Guatemala City — the only functioning gold mint in the region. Political cohesion was already fraying; by 1838 the republic had dissolved entirely into five separate nations, making the window for federally-issued coinage remarkably narrow.
KM#11 is among the earlier federally-attributed gold issues from Guatemala, struck before the individual states began asserting separate monetary identities.