Catalog
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| Issuer | Guatemala |
|---|---|
| Year | 1879-1893 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Central device depicts the Guatemalan coat of arms: a resplendent quetzal bird perched atop a scroll inscribed with the independence date LIBERTAD 15 DE SETIEMBRE DE 1821, flanked by a thick laurel and oak wreath tied at the base with a ribbon. Two crossed rifles with fixed bayonets and two crossed swords are visible behind the scroll, symbolizing military defense of liberty. Below the wreath in the exergue, the fineness 0.900, assayer initial D, and the date 1879 are struck in the field. The overall design follows the standard arms type established for the Guatemalan Reform coinage of 1879. |
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| Obverse lettering | LIBERTAD 15 DE SETIEMBRE DE 1821 0,900 D 1879 (Translation: Freedom 15th-Sept.-1821 0.900 1879D) |
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| Additional information |
Guatemala's peso coinage of this period was struck under the liberal reform government of Justo Rufino Barrios, who overhauled the national monetary system in the late 1870s as part of a broader push to integrate Guatemala into international trade networks. The .900 fine standard was deliberately chosen to match the Latin Monetary Union specification, easing commercial exchange with European partners even though Guatemala never formally joined the union.
Barrios was killed in battle at Chalchuapa in 1885, mid-series.