Heritage World Coin Auctions
CICF Signature Sale 3046 14-15 April 2016
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Costa Rica
Republic gold 2 Escudos 1850-GW AU58 NGC, San Jose mint, KM99 (for type, this assayer unlisted for the date). Very close to Mint State with nearly full mint bloom and only light high-point friction evidence. Mild handling evidence noted for accuracy's sake but a superb and most attractive example throughout. Of German descent, Guillermo Witting was appointed first assayer of the San Jose mint on March 28, 1855. Prior to that, he had been assistant to previous first assayer Juan Barth, and only acted sporadically as assayer of the minted coinage. Thus, all pre-1855 (and also the ½ Escudo 1855-GW) issues with the GW initials instead of the usual JB initials are of great, if little known, rarity. Such is the case with the present coin, the elusiveness of which has gone largely unnoticed: missing in the Eliasberg, Meyer and Caballero de las Yndias groups, it is also unlisted in the SCWC and currently not differentiated from the normal 2 Escudos 1850-JB in the NGC census. Possibly the finest extant of this very rare date/assayer combination, one of only 5 coins known by the cataloger and with a single public offering noted in the past decade (Gerhard Hirsch 2/2008, lot 3249, correctly identified as "RRRR"). A great opportunity for the Costa Rican specialist seeking completeness of this challenging and generally overlooked series.From the Pura Vida Collection, Part II
Estimate: 2000-3000 USD
Republic gold 2 Escudos 1850-GW AU58 NGC, San Jose mint, KM99 (for type, this assayer unlisted for the date). Very close to Mint State with nearly full mint bloom and only light high-point friction evidence. Mild handling evidence noted for accuracy's sake but a superb and most attractive example throughout. Of German descent, Guillermo Witting was appointed first assayer of the San Jose mint on March 28, 1855. Prior to that, he had been assistant to previous first assayer Juan Barth, and only acted sporadically as assayer of the minted coinage. Thus, all pre-1855 (and also the ½ Escudo 1855-GW) issues with the GW initials instead of the usual JB initials are of great, if little known, rarity. Such is the case with the present coin, the elusiveness of which has gone largely unnoticed: missing in the Eliasberg, Meyer and Caballero de las Yndias groups, it is also unlisted in the SCWC and currently not differentiated from the normal 2 Escudos 1850-JB in the NGC census. Possibly the finest extant of this very rare date/assayer combination, one of only 5 coins known by the cataloger and with a single public offering noted in the past decade (Gerhard Hirsch 2/2008, lot 3249, correctly identified as "RRRR"). A great opportunity for the Costa Rican specialist seeking completeness of this challenging and generally overlooked series.From the Pura Vida Collection, Part II
Estimate: 2000-3000 USD