Heritage World Coin Auctions
CICF Signature Sale 3032 Online Sessions 15-16 April 2014
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Honduras
Ruatan Bay Island Token Quartet, Four different 23mm brass ½ Real tokens from Roatan are offered. Formerly known as Ruatan, it is the largest of Honduras' important "Bay Islands". Controlled by pirates, including famed Buccaneer Henry Morgan, as well as Spanish and Black Carib Indians at times, British colonists finally took control in the 1850's after slavery was abolished in the area. In 1859 -1860 they involved William Walker in their attempt to avoid control by Honduras while establishing an independent English-speaking government in the Bay Islands. Since the British Royal Navy had other plans, primarily to build a canal across Nicaragua, they detained Walker and turned him over to the Honduras' authorities who then executed him in September 1860. The island of Ruatan then coincidentally became prominent as a primary shipping zone for bananas and coconuts; that boom was mostly ended by a massive hurricane in 1877. During that era of English businessmen dominating local commerce, two "Cooper" families with roots in Cork Ireland became prominent. The Warren family also gained status and often partnered with the Cooper family. A 1914 US consular report shows numerous businesses of theirs. Rulau ILB -7 for Cooper and Warren in cleaned AVF has a countermark much like Rulau's plate coin but it seems more likely a letter other than "A", possibly a fancy "M". D. Warren, representing only himself, issued Rulau ILB -12 which is offered in two renditions. The first has no countermark while the second has one identical to the preceding Cooper & Warren example. Quality is VF and VG+. Fourth is the scarce Rulau ILB -11 of Jose O. Valle in Fine+. Jose Cecilio de Valle was elected president of Guatemala in 1834 but died that year; a university in Honduras is now named for him. Probably this token's Jose is a son or grandson.From The Dana Roberts Collection and Study Group
Estimate: 300-600 USD
Ruatan Bay Island Token Quartet, Four different 23mm brass ½ Real tokens from Roatan are offered. Formerly known as Ruatan, it is the largest of Honduras' important "Bay Islands". Controlled by pirates, including famed Buccaneer Henry Morgan, as well as Spanish and Black Carib Indians at times, British colonists finally took control in the 1850's after slavery was abolished in the area. In 1859 -1860 they involved William Walker in their attempt to avoid control by Honduras while establishing an independent English-speaking government in the Bay Islands. Since the British Royal Navy had other plans, primarily to build a canal across Nicaragua, they detained Walker and turned him over to the Honduras' authorities who then executed him in September 1860. The island of Ruatan then coincidentally became prominent as a primary shipping zone for bananas and coconuts; that boom was mostly ended by a massive hurricane in 1877. During that era of English businessmen dominating local commerce, two "Cooper" families with roots in Cork Ireland became prominent. The Warren family also gained status and often partnered with the Cooper family. A 1914 US consular report shows numerous businesses of theirs. Rulau ILB -7 for Cooper and Warren in cleaned AVF has a countermark much like Rulau's plate coin but it seems more likely a letter other than "A", possibly a fancy "M". D. Warren, representing only himself, issued Rulau ILB -12 which is offered in two renditions. The first has no countermark while the second has one identical to the preceding Cooper & Warren example. Quality is VF and VG+. Fourth is the scarce Rulau ILB -11 of Jose O. Valle in Fine+. Jose Cecilio de Valle was elected president of Guatemala in 1834 but died that year; a university in Honduras is now named for him. Probably this token's Jose is a son or grandson.From The Dana Roberts Collection and Study Group
Estimate: 300-600 USD