We buy Colombian escudos and gold pesos.

The escudos

The Santa Fe de Bogotá mint struck its first gold in 1622, a 2 escudos often called the first gold coin of the Americas, and made hand-hammered cobs, arms on one side and a cross on the other, until 1756. Popayán opened in 1758. The milled 8 escudos, the onza, carries the king's bust and the crowned arms in the collar of the Golden Fleece, with NR for Bogotá or P for Popayán and the assayers' initials beside it. The Charles III bust of 1772 to 1789 is the colonial onza most collectors know. Scarcer are the Ferdinand VI bust of the late 1750s, Charles III's name on Ferdinand's bust, the Bogotá "cara de rata" bust of 1762 to 1771, and the transitional pieces of 1789 to 1791. Ferdinand VII's own portrait never appeared on Colombian gold: from 1808 to 1820 his name surrounds the old bust of Charles IV.

The republic's gold begins in 1822. Its 8 escudos, struck at Bogotá and Popayán until 1836, shows a head facing left with REPUBLICA DE COLOMBIA and, on the other side, a fasces between two cornucopias. A 2 escudos, a 1 escudo and a small gold peso were struck with it. In 1837 the Republic of New Granada renamed the onza the 16 pesos, a head of Liberty over arms topped by a condor, and struck it in .875 gold until 1849. From 1848 Bogotá also struck a lighter .900 version, until 1853, that is much harder to find.

The gold pesos

From the 1850s Colombia struck 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 peso in .900 gold, on the weights of the French franc, at Bogotá, Popayán and, from 1862, Medellín. The legends follow the country's changing name: NUEVA GRANADA until 1858, CONFEDERACION GRANADINA from 1858 to 1863, and ESTADOS UNIDOS DE COLOMBIA until 1886. Mintages were small, often a few thousand, and some dates survive in single figures. The 1859 Popayán 5 pesos shown here, the only 5 pesos that mint ever struck, is rare: two are known.

• 20 pesos, 32.26 grams, the morrocota. Bogotá from 1859, Popayán and Medellín from the 1860s, to 1878. Struck steadily, and still expensive.
• 10 pesos, 16.13 grams. The 1850s types, then the Confederation and United States issues: Bogotá to 1866, Popayán to 1870 and Medellín to 1876.
• 5 pesos, 8.06 grams, with its weight in grams stated on the coin. Short-lived types at every mint: Bogotá 1849, 1857 and 1858, Popayán only in 1859, Medellín 1862 to 1864. Seldom seen.
• 2 pesos, 3.22 grams, and 1 peso, 1.61 grams. The Medellín 2 pesos is the one most often seen; the Popayán pieces of 1859 and 1860 are not.

In the crisis of 1885 and 1886 Medellín struck 2, 5 and 10 pesos in .666 gold, with the lower fineness punched over the old .900. They are the last Colombian gold before 1913, and only a handful survive.

The final circulating gold was struck on the British sovereign standard, 7.99 grams of 22 karat gold to the 5 pesos: the miner at Medellín, a 2½ pesos of 1913 and a 5 pesos of 1913 to 1919, then Bolívar heads in 2½, 5 and 10 pesos from 1919 to 1930. The Bolívar 5 pesos is common and often sold for its gold. The 1913 coins, the 10 pesos, and choice Mint State pieces are not. We buy the later commemorative gold as well.

What affects the offer

• Mint, date and type. Among the pesos, Popayán and Medellín are generally scarcer than Bogotá, and the Confederation pesos of 1858 to 1863 most of all. A mint letter or an assayer's initials can change the offer a great deal.
• Grade and strike. Colonial and early republic onzas mostly survive Very Fine to About Uncirculated. Weak centers, adjustment marks, and the crude Popayán strikes of the 1860s and 1870s are normal and priced in.
• Surfaces. Colombian gold was often worn as jewelry, and removed mounts, cleaning and scratches are common. They lower the offer, but we still buy these coins. Many cobs come from the 1715 Fleet wreck, and sea-worn surfaces are part of their story.
• 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.