Catalog
1 Centavo Pattern strike
| Issuer | Nicaragua |
|---|---|
| Year | 1860 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | LIBERTAD Y UNION (Translation: Freedom and Union) |
| Reverse description | The central field bears the denomination and date inscribed in three lines — UN / CENTABO / 1860 — within a beaded inner circle, notably featuring the misspelling CENTABO in place of the correct CENTAVO, a die error characteristic of this pattern issue. The circular peripheral legend REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA runs around the outer field between the beaded circle and the plain rim. The design is entirely typographic, with no figurative elements, and the large, bold lettering fills the field in a straightforward, utilitarian manner. |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Nicaragua's coinage history in the 1860s is fragmented and poorly documented, and this pattern is a direct artifact of that instability. The young republic was still negotiating the basic infrastructure of a national monetary system, and pattern strikes from this period were almost certainly produced at a foreign mint — most probably in Birmingham or Paris — to demonstrate viability before any production contract was awarded. No regular-issue 1 centavo in copper was struck for 1860, which is precisely why this piece exists: it never made it past the proposal stage.