Peru. Republic. 8 Reales, 1857 -Oz (Pasco). Eliz-167; WR --; KM-142.13. 23.29 grams. Liberty stands frontal, draped and cloaked and wearing aegis, holding spear while one hand rests on shield. Reverse: Shield of arms flanked by wreath, and crowned above by wreath of oak. Clean, sharp strike, although the centers are a bit soft. Some light marks, yet the overall appearance is very clean. Superb toning, with much remaining luster on the reverse. Extremely Rare. NGC graded AU-58. Estimated Value $25,000 - UP
This is the rarest type coin in the South American Republic series. When Wayte Raymond published his work on New World silver dollars, the type was unkown to him. Since then, only four of this type have been confirmed, with not over seven rumored to exist. Being the most elusive of rarities, only three public sales have occurred over the past three decades. Of these, one was a seriously damaged About Good. Another example, sold at auction in 1983, in the ANA "America's Sale," and fetched $28,600. Another, in Very Fine only but with a legend variant, brought $20,900 in 1990 (Superior, Dec. 1-2, 1990, lot 781).
Ex Millennia, Lot 1199
Goldberg's Auction 59, lot 3988
The Peh Family Collection.