We buy Peruvian gold escudos.

Lima and Cuzco

Lima struck its first regular gold in 1696. Its cobs of 8, 4, 2 and 1 escudos are rounder and better made than those of any other mint, every one is dated, and many were recovered from the 1715 Fleet off Florida. Milled gold followed in 1751, with the king's bust and the mint's LIMAE monogram, and ran through Ferdinand VII to 1821. Cuzco struck gold only in short bursts: cobs of 1 and 2 escudos in 1698, long thought to be counterfeits until the 1715 Fleet finds proved them genuine, and Ferdinand VII onzas dated 1824, struck with assayer G after the patriots took the city.

The republic's 8 escudos, from 1826, shows Liberty standing with a capped pole and a shield reading LIBERTAD under FIRME Y FELIZ POR LA UNION, and the arms of Peru on the other side, in .875 gold at 27 grams. Lima struck it until 1855 with assayers JM, MM in 1833, and then MB, along with 4, 2, 1 and ½ escudos; the Lima 4 escudos exists only for 1828, 1850 and 1853 to 1855. Cuzco struck the 8 escudos from 1826 to 1845 and the 1 escudo to 1846, with assayers G, B and A, and a ½ escudo in 1826 only. The mint was dismantled in 1842, yet coins dated 1843 to 1845 exist, like the 1844 A shown here, and no mintage for them has ever been published.

North Peru and South Peru

In 1836 Andrés de Santa Cruz split Peru in two and joined both halves to Bolivia in the Peru-Bolivian Confederation. Each state struck its own gold until the confederation fell in 1839, and catalogs and grading labels list them as North Peru and South Peru.

• North Peru, the Estado Nor-Peruano, struck at Lima. The standing Liberty design continued, with ESTADO NOR-PERUANO around the arms: 8, 4, 2, 1 and ½ escudos, all dated 1838. Its 4 escudos is the only Peruvian 4 escudos between 1828 and 1850. All North Peru gold is scarce; an 1838 4 escudos in About Uncirculated sold for $66,000 in 2022.
• South Peru, the Estado Sud-Peruano, struck its gold at Cuzco only. Its 8 escudos has a radiant sun face with stars for the departments on one side, and on the other the four departments in a wreath: the Inca fortress of Cuzco, the smoking Misti volcano of Arequipa, a cornucopia for Ayacucho, and a ship on Lake Titicaca for Puno. It was struck first in 1837 as ESTADO SUD PERUANO with FEDERACION, then as REPUB. SUD PERUANA with CONFEDERACION in 1837 and 1838. A 1 escudo and a ½ escudo of 1838 complete the gold. Arequipa struck only silver.

The silver 8 reales of both states is seen far more often than the gold, and we buy it too.

After the escudos

Then came the 20, 10 and 5 soles of 1863, one-year coins with a seated Liberty; the libra, on the British sovereign standard, with its half and fifth, from 1898; and the soles de oro of 1950 to 1970, from 100 soles down to 5. We buy those as well.

What affects the offer

• Mint, state and date. North and South Peru gold is the heart of the series, and the 1837 FEDERACION 8 escudos of South Peru above all. The Cuzco dates of 1843 to 1845, the Cuzco cobs of 1698, the Lima 4 escudos, and the one-year types follow.
• Grade and strike. Republic escudos usually survive Very Fine to About Uncirculated. Cuzco strikes are often soft in the center, with laminations and planchet flaws, and that is normal for the mint.
• Surfaces. Peruvian onzas and libras were often mounted as jewelry, and cleaning and tooling turn up. 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.
• Copies of Lima cobs exist, and 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.