We buy El Salvador gold pesos.

The series

Before 1892, El Salvador had no gold of its own. The provisional coins struck in San Salvador from 1828 to 1835, and the countermarks stamped on foreign coins, were all silver. The escudos of the Central American Republic were struck in Guatemala and Costa Rica, and they have their own page.

In May 1891 the Legislative Assembly granted a mint concession to a private company backed by a Paris syndicate, the Central American Mint, Limited. It opened in San Salvador on 28 August 1892 and marked its coins C.A.M. That year it struck the country's only gold pesos, .900 fine on the Latin Monetary Union standard, so the 20 pesos weighs the same as a French 100 francs. One side shows a laureate head of Liberty facing left with AMERICA CENTRAL and the value. The other shows the national arms, a shield on crossed flags under a radiant liberty cap, with REPUBLICA DEL SALVADOR, 900, C.A.M. and 1892. The edge is reeded. Later in 1892 the peso was renamed the colón after Columbus, whose portrait is on the silver, but the gold still reads PESOS.

• 20 pesos, 32.26 grams, KM-119. 300 struck.
• 10 pesos, 16.13 grams, KM-118. 321 struck.
• 5 pesos, 8.06 grams, KM-117. 558 struck.
• 2½ pesos, 4.03 grams, KM-116. 597 struck.

The company handed its dies to the government in 1896, and no later gold carries C.A.M. The next Salvadoran gold was the 1925 20 colones, struck at the Mexico City mint for the four hundredth anniversary of the founding of San Salvador, with 200 made. Then came the 1971 proof set of 25, 50, 100 and 200 colones for the 150th anniversary of independence. We buy those as well.

What affects the offer

• Denomination. The 20 pesos is the showpiece, and a full set of all four is a serious prize. The 10 pesos turns up at auction least often.
• Grade. Little of this gold circulated. Most survivors are Extremely Fine to About Uncirculated, with a few Mint State pieces among the smaller coins.
• Surfaces. Cleaning, hairlines and smoothed surfaces are the usual problems, along with rim bumps. They lower the offer, but we still buy these coins.
• Patterns. The 1892 dies were also struck in copper and gilt bronze, and those look like gold. We check every piece. 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.