Catalog
1/8 Peso
| Issuer | Costa Rica |
|---|---|
| Year | 1850-1855 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 3 g |
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| Reverse description | A central tree — representing the iconic guanacaste or similar native tree — divides the fractional denomination. The legend AMERICA CENTRAL curves along the upper rim. The fineness expressed in reales and granos, along with the assayer's initials, appears in the lower portion of the field beneath the denomination. |
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| Reverse lettering | AMERICA CENTRAL 1/8 Po 10 Ds 20 Gc J. B. (Translation: Central America 1/8 Peso 0.902777 Juan Barth) |
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| Additional information |
Costa Rica's fractional silver coinage of this period was struck at the Casa de Moneda in San José, established only in 1825 following independence from the Central American Federation. The 1/8 peso denomination served the practical needs of a coffee-export economy where small change was perpetually scarce — a chronic problem across Central America that drove several republics to maintain fractional silver long after larger denominations had migrated to other standards.
KM#102 spans five years of production, but surviving examples vary considerably by date, with certain years representing genuinely small emissions tied to silver supply disruptions from the domestic mines at Abangares.