We buy La Rioja escudos.

The series

The provincial mint opened in 1824 at Chilecito, in the Famatina district of La Rioja, and worked on and off until 1860. Its gold falls into two groups.

The first is the sun-face type: a radiant sun with a human face and the legend PROVINCIAS DEL RIO DE LA PLATA, with the arms of the 1813 Assembly on the other side and EN UNION Y LIBERTAD. The 2 escudos came first, dated 1824 to 1826. The 8 escudos, 27 grams of .875 gold, followed from 1826 into the mid-1830s. From 1826 the reverse legend carries the mint mark RA and the assayer letter P, for Manuel Piñeyro y Pardo, so a typical coin reads RA, P, 8S and the date. The 1832 is known chiefly as an overdate, 1832 over 1, and the 1829 is one of the hardest dates to find: it is rare, with about three known.

The second group is the Confederación gold, struck under Rosas with the mint mark R. The 1838 8 escudos keeps the sun and arms with new legends. The 1840 is a one-year type struck during the Coalición del Norte, with the legend changed back to EN UNION Y LIBERTAD. The 1842 8 escudos and 2 escudos carry the bust of Rosas and the legend RESTAURADOR DE LAS LEYES, and were withdrawn by law the same year; only about five of the 8 escudos are known. The 1843 2 escudos and the 1845 8 escudos add the assayer letter B, for José Barros Quintero. The 1845 was the last gold struck on Argentine soil. Every known 1845 shows a die crack above the shield, from the single reverse die used, so that crack is a diagnostic, not damage.

A 1836 8 escudos with the Rosas bust also exists, a one-year issue with only a handful known.

Not to be confused with Potosí

The same sun-face design was first struck at Potosí in 1813, in what is now Bolivia, in 8, 2 and 1 escudos. Those carry the PTS monogram and the assayer letter J rather than RA and P. The 1813 8 escudos is a major coin, with about a dozen known from a single pair of dies. If your coin reads PROVINCIAS DEL RIO DE LA PLATA and shows PTS, we would very much like to see it.

What affects the offer

• The date, mint mark and assayer letter. The differences between an 1838 R and an 1840 R, or between an 1831 and an 1832 over 1, are large.
• The strike. The sun's rays and the legends are often soft on this series, and a boldly struck example is worth a premium.
• Surfaces. Repaired or smoothed fields, hairlines from cleaning, and mounting marks from time spent as jewelry all appear on these coins and all reduce the offer. Copper spots, rim nicks and planchet flaws are common and are priced in, not disqualifying.
• Grade. Most survivors are Very Fine to About Uncirculated. Mint State examples are exceptional and priced accordingly.
• 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.