We buy Central American Republic escudos.

The series

The República Federal de Centro América struck its gold at two mints. Guatemala, with the mint letters NG, coined 8, 4, 1 and half escudos in 1824 and 1825, half escudos again in 1826 and 1843, and 2 escudos every few years from 1825 to 1847, with the assayer M, then BA in 1837, MA from 1840 to 1842 and A in 1846 and 1847. Costa Rica's mint at San José was created in October 1828 and struck its first gold in 1829 from dies dated 1828, marked CR. Its assayer F, Félix Mora, signed most of the coins dated 1828 to 1837. The letter E appears on the 1 escudo of 1833 and on 4 and 8 escudos of 1837, M on the coins of 1843 and 1844, and JB, for Juan Barth, on the gold of 1845 to 1850. The federation was gone by 1848, but Costa Rica kept striking from the old federal dies until 1850 because it had no others.

The 8 escudos exists from Guatemala for 1824 and 1825 only, and from Costa Rica for 1828, 1833 and 1837. The 1828 CR, about 5,300 struck, is the coin most people picture when they think of the series. All are 27 grams of .875 gold, marked 21 Q on the reverse for twenty-one quilates. The 4 escudos, 2 escudos, 1 escudo and half escudo follow the same standard at half, a quarter, an eighth and a sixteenth of the weight. The 2 escudos ran the longest, from 1825 at Guatemala to the last federal-design gold of 1850 at San José.

The design is the same throughout. One side carries a sun with a face, fully risen above a row of five volcanoes for the five states, with REPUBLICA DEL CENTRO DE AMERICA and the date. The other carries a ceiba tree with the value beside the trunk and the motto LIBRE CRESCA FECUNDO, then the mint letters, the assayer letter and the fineness. The half escudo, small as it is, shows three volcanoes rather than five.

A crude provisional gold was also struck at Tegucigalpa and in Costa Rica in 1824 and 1825 from hand-cut dies, later demonetized and melted. Fewer than ten survive, and you are unlikely to have one, but if a coin looks hand-made, send it anyway.

What affects the offer

• Mint, date and assayer. The Guatemala 8 escudos of 1824 and 1825 are the scarcest regular coins in the series. The Costa Rican 1833 and 1837 are scarcer than the 1828, and the 1837 with assayer E is a scarce variety in both the 4 and 8 escudos. The 1843 dates at both mints and the 1850 JB 2 escudos are sought after.
• Grade. Most survivors are Very Fine to About Uncirculated. A Mint State 8 escudos of any date is very hard to find.
• Strike. Softness on the sun's face, the volcano row and the center of the tree is normal for the series and priced in. File marks from weight adjustment also occur.
• Surfaces and edge. The small gold was worn as jewelry for generations, so mount removal, filed edges, holes and cleaning are common. Each lowers the offer, but none of them stops us buying.
• Counterstamps. Costa Rica stamped half escudos and 1 escudos between 1849 and 1857 with a small lion and the legend HABILITADA POR EL GOBIERNO. That is a collectible variety, not damage, and we pay for it.
• Certification is welcome but not required. We buy raw coins and price them on what we see.

What to send

A clear photo of the front and back of each coin. A short video, turning the coin in the light, helps too. Phone photos are fine, and if a coin is in a holder, photograph it in the holder.