Watch List notes:

COLOMBIA: Gran Colombia, 1819-1831, AR 8 reales, 1820, KM-D7, Cr-115a, Restrepo-156.1, mule of República de Colombia and Nueva Granada types, minor obverse laminations as usual for type, reverse rim nick, transitional one-year type, minor edge defeat but unusually good strike for these, VF, RR. Unlisted in Elizondo and about 13 known examples. In December 1819, the new constitution was ratified and the new Republic of Colombia (Gran Colombia) was born, a union of the old Nueva Granada and Venezuela. The decree was received by Santander early in January of 1820. It was more important to have a new obverse die reading República de Colombia than to replace the Nueva Granada reverse die, thus it was prepared first, and used to produce this interim type. On February 12, 1820, it was decreed that "Nueva Granada" would be removed from the coinage, replaced by "Cundinamarca." Thus, it is estimated that production of this type lasted for less than a month, explaning the rarity of this piece. It is also the first Republican crown of both Colombia and Venezuela, and therefore of great historical importance. A similar but lower quality example sold in Heritage World Coin Auctions 3037, Lot 29285, for $3,200.

Estimate: 2,500-3,500 USD