AMERICAN NUMISMATIC SOCIETY Volume 1 Descriptions Selections of Choice To Be Sold Only By Mail Bid Closing Date - July 18, 1975 and Rare Friday, 11:00 P.M. CDT Goins Medals PaperMoney PROUDLY PRESENTED BY: COINS OF THE WORLD Bank of San Antonio Building, Suite 208, One Romana Plaza, San Antonio, Texas 78205 Phone: 512-227-3471 BID SHEET ALMANZAR’S COINS OF THE WORLD MAIL BIDS CANNOT BE FRIDAY, BANK OF SAN ANTONIO BLDG., SUITE 208 ACCEPTED AFTER 1975 ONE ROMANA PLAZA JULY 18, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS 78205 PLEASE ENTER THE FOLLOWING BIDS FOR ME IN YOUR AUCTION SALE OF JULY 18, 1975. I HAVE READ AND AGREE TO ABIDE BY THE TERMS OF SALE AND WILL REMIT PROMPTLY UPON RECEIPT OF INVOICE FOR ALL LOTS THAT I PURCHASE. , 1975 SIGNATURE NAME ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP CODE LOT // BID LOT // BID LOT // BID Please bill me $1.00 for a copy of the prices realized list (fee covers postal costs). Auction catalog subscribers need not check this box. The prices realized list will be mailed as soon as the list is published and only to those persons who have subscribed, consigned items to this auction, or who have paid the $1.00 fee. As a buyer unknown to you, I wish to establish credit with your firm. My credit references include: FIRM OR INDIVIDUAL CITY STATE ZIP CODE and/or I include $ as a deposit to guarantee my intent to buy all lots for which I am the high bidder. (ALL PERSONS WHO HAVE ESTABLISHED CREDIT WITH US MAY IGNORE THIS PARAGRAPH) PLEASE PRINT OR WRITE CLEARLY. Worldwide Selections of Choice and Rare Coins Medals PaperMoney PROUDLY PRESENTED BY: COINS OF THE WORLD MARTI AND CUBA To the student of Cuban history the romance and drama of the centuries following Columbus' discovery of the island in 1492 are well known. In the light of the hundreds of years of pi- racy, slavery, and savage exploitation, the Cuban quest for independence can be readily acknowledged as one of unequaled pathos and beauty in the sense that man's indominatable demand for freedom from tyranny continues to surface even under the most discouraging and disheartening conditions. Dubbed the "Queen of the Antilles" by Columbus, Cuba was readily acknow- ledged as the keystone to the Spanish empire in America and as so was unsurpassed for fabulous wealth in this part of the world. Strategically located in the Carribbean, the ports of Cuba were used as the embarkation points for Spanish treas- ure fleets returning to the mother country. Legendary still are the exploits of the dashing and debonair captains of the galleons who fought pirates on the high seas, and in our own time national attention is periodically directed to some new attempt to recover the gold and silver laden cargo from the wreckage of one of the ill-fated vessels that sank without reaching its destination. Unlike some of her sister Latin American countries, Cuba was content in foreign rule until 1825 when Spanish selfishness began to manifest itself in slavery and imported captains general were given absolute power over the lives and properties of Cubans. Efforts to gain autonomous rule, although occurring with increasing bit- terness and regularity, were for the most part without struc- ture or direction until a willowy rebel in his teens began to thunderously and relentlessly tell the world of the plight of his countrymen. Born in 1853 to humble Spanish parents in Havana, Jose Julian Marti started his work for independence at the tender age of ten and by, the time that he had reached his sixteenth birthday he had distinguished himself as a fighter en- dowed^wjth enterprise and courage, so much so that he was exiled to imprisonment in Spain. A man-child of considerable charm and finesse, Marti soon convinced his captors that his reputation was excessive in relation to his age and actual ability so they commuted his sentence to confinement to the Spanish mainland. Gathering more fuel for the fire that was to change the course of Cuban history, Marti spent the next sever- al vears reading of similar rebellions in other countries. When his studies at the University of Madrid were complete, Marti traveled to Mexico to be nearer his homeland. Because the cruel and bitter reprisals for the continuing rebellion had brought renewed Spanish measures of repression, it was felt that Marti would be safer and more effective to the revolution at a safe distance from the actual fighting. When Mexican officials became aware of his efforts Marti was again exiled to Spain, this time to a maximum security prison where all of his underground activities were curtailed. In his readings at the university Marti had become enamored of the United States and fled there in an exciting cloak and dagger style escape. Once again able to resume his insatiable drive for Cuban independence, Marti began to write voraciously. Something of a folk hero even today, his books are still being published posthumously including poetry, the Cuban Journal "La Patria", the novel " Ismaelillo" , and his most famous work "Nuestra America" dealing with various aspects of life in all of the American republics. In 1892 Marti formed the Cuban Revolution- ary Party that was to give coherency and especial impetus to the work of his counterparts at home. When the rebellion reached such proportions that it was considered a full-scale war rather than a controllable insurrection, Marti returned home to fight at their sides. His death in the May 1895 Battle of Dos Rios was tragic in that he did not live to see the overwhelming success of his efforts, but the romance of the life of the young martyr had captured the imagination and the hearts of his fellow Cubans and his name was used as a battle cry that spirited them on to the completion of his mission. (Note: For information on the special gold coin bearing Marti ' s name, please turn to page 110, Lot #4175.) LOW MINTAGE FIGURES OF CENTRAL AMERICAN GOLD COINAGE The following is the text of a speech given by Alcedo F. Almanzar at the 83rd annual convention of the American Numismatic Association at Miami Beach, Florida, August 1974 and later printed in the November 1974 issue of "World Coins". The history of gold is unequaled by that of any other metal, because of the value men have placed on its possession since the earliest of time. As Man's economic system developed from the primitive marketplace, and became increasingly complex, we soon learned that gold was the one material which others would accept in exchange for goods and services. It was upon this principle, that the system of gold as a backing for modern world financing was founded. But my purpose in this article is not to discuss the history of gold in world finance, or even the broad spectrum of world gold coinage in general. Instead, I would like to focus your attention on the Central American Republics, a cluster of six countries whose numismatic history of gold coinage is rich in tradition, and yet often is neglected. For the purpose of brevity, I shall concentrate on the Republic era since 1821, and will not discuss the more recent gold issues often classified as "Non- Circulating Legal Tender" issues. coins As a group, the gold coinage of the Central American Republics contain some of the rarest mintages in the world, despite the fact that most are priced far less than gold coins of equivalent from other countries. Sometimes it takes a second glance to realize that numerous Central American gold coins have mintages less than the U.S. 50-Dollar Panama-Pacific commemorative coins or the 1879 4-Dollar gold flowing-hair Stella. In fact, many of the Central American gold coins have mintages e- struck. qual, or less than any of the 4 types of Stellas, of which a total of 460 were America s part, the relative lack of interest, or the misunderstanding of the nature of Central In coins receive coinage, is due to a lack of information. While some of the world 'd rare gold rare gold and be- publicity. Central American gold often is treated in a rather "broad-brush" fashion, extensive cases, grouped and eventually obscured among Mexico and the South American countries. In some comes from re- especially Honduras, the lack of mintages figures have prevented Central American gold coins concentrate on some ceiving the attention which they deserve. In the next few pages, I would like to previously unpublished figures to of Central America's gold coins, and at the same time release some iii . LOW MINTAGE FIGURES OF CENTRAL AMERICAN GOLD COINAGE (CONT) demonstrate their scarcity. Of all the Central American countries, Guatemala has the most extensive numismatic history, be- ginning with the establishment of its colonial mint in 1733. Following independence in ]&21, Guatemala continued setting the standards for monetary developments, and produced more gold coins than any of her sister republics in Central America, beginning with the Escudo system while a member of the short-lived * 8 denominations produced, the 8 Escudos is Central American Federation. Of the 5 , 1, 2, 4, and Escudo considered the most desirable, and was minted only for the years of 1824 and 1825. Indicative of the rarity of Guatemala's 8 Escudo coin dated 1824, is the fact that Wyate Raymond America pub- placed the market value at $500 in his classic book. The Gold Coins of North and South , lished in 1937. To illustrate to you, ladies and gentlemen, the neglect befallen on Central American gold coins, is that this valuation at that time, was more than the combined prices assigned to the 1907 high relief 20-Dollar, and the 1915 Panama-Pacific round planchet 50-Dollar gold pieces of the United States, which combined are now selling in the neighborhood of $20,000.