Catalog
10 Soles
| Issuer | Republic of Peru |
|---|---|
| Year | 1863 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Sol (1863-1985) |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The reverse features a draped seated figure of Liberty facing slightly left, holding a staff topped with a liberty cap in her left hand and a palm frond in her right, with a radiant shield resting at her side. The word LIBERTAD is inscribed vertically on the staff. The surrounding legend FIRME Y FELIZ POR LA UNION arcs around the upper field, while the denomination 10 SOLES is inscribed in bold letters along the lower exergue. The engraver's initials K.B. are visible at the lower left of the central design, and a fine toothed border frames the entire composition. |
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| Additional information |
Peru's 1863 decimal coinage reform replaced the old real system with the sol, adopting a metric-compatible structure modeled closely on French decimal principles. The 10 soles sat at the top of the gold series and was pegged explicitly to the French 32-franc piece in weight and fineness, a deliberate alignment intended to facilitate trade with European partners during Peru's guano-boom years, when the country was flush with foreign credit and eager for monetary respectability.
The type had a short effective run. By 1872, fiscal overextension and the coming collapse of the guano economy pushed Peru toward paper currency, and large gold issues became increasingly impractical before the War of the Pacific ended the question entirely.