Another of the "Large silvers" I am sorting thru. This one has lettering on the edge and seems to be in great condition! An eye appealing gold tone too boot. Any info on mintage value and grade appreciated.
Peru 8 Reales 1838CUZCO MS KM# 170.4 27.07g - 0.9030 Silver - 0.7859 ASW No mintage given VG - $20 F - $45 VF - $75 EF - $150 Unc- $1,500
While I am certainly not an expert on the series the coin has plenty of detail remaining and looks like a strong XF-40 to me.
During your sorting, you have stumbled upon an absolutely gorgeous Peruvian Cuzco. It is known as the Cuzco Radiant Sun Face coin. The face is the Inca sun god, Inti. This is a popular theme found on many coins produced by modern nations that have emerged from the once mighty Inca Empire. While the face of Inti remains constant, the design of the sun-ray burst varies widely. At the time of emancipation from Spain, Dec 1824, the newly declared Republic of Peru assumed the operation of three active mints ... Lima, Paco and Cuzco. Cuzco was the historic capital of the Inca Empire and has been declared to be a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It also was the capital city for what was termed by the Republic as South Peru, located not far from the border with Bolivia. The new Republic designed new coins to replace the colonial coinage depicting Spanish kings. One was of Libertad [Liberty] standing, with a staff topped with a freedom cap, held with right hand and the left resting on a shield inscribed with the word LIBERTAD. Coins of this design were struck at the Lima and Pasco mints. The Radiant Sun Face coin was only struck at the Cuzco mint and only for a 4-year run. Website dealers describe this coin as being 'unusual', 'rarely seen', 'scarce', and/or 'highly desirable'. The reverse is loaded with symbolism. There are anywhere form 5 to 7 [and maybe more] themes shown. Too many to discuss here. In a number of respects, this is considered to be a milestone coin. I will avoid grading your coin, because I'm overly generous with coins I really like or want to possess. It works the same way with women. If they look good, are in decent shape, are clean and don't cost too much ..... I want to take them home with me. Along the way, I've been a Spanish colonial-period collector. Your coin represents the first departure from that period and it is a highly desirable item. Now that I have seen your coin, my "want list" has been rearranged. Rearranged so that a Peruvian Cuzco Radiant Sun Face is among the top three to strive for. Let us know if you decide to keep this coin for your collection. You are encouraged to do so.
Wonderful write up, Learned something from it. I have the image of the coin from another forum saved cause I want one of these pretty badly.
