You are here:
- Home
- Hobbies
- Coin Collecting
- Coin and Paper Money Collecting
- 1887 Guatemalan Coin
Coin and Paper Money Collecting/1887 Guatemalan Coin
Advertisement
Question
I recently found a tiny coin, dated 1887. The coin is about the size of a pencil-top eraser. There is absolutely no other words or numbers imprinted on the coin at all. I have no idea what the amount even is. I was able to identify the picture on a coin collecting site, which is how I learned the coin is from Guatemala. It's not in mint condition, but it is clean enough to be able to see any other text or numbers that might be on it (but there are none.) Is this a fluke, or is this an actual coin that may be worth some value today? Thank you for your help!
Hi Holly,
This certainly does sound like a tiny Guatemalan 1/4 real or reales coin. These were made for a very long time, but the one you have was made for two years, 1887 and 1888. There should be a lion on the side opposite the date.
These were made of .835 purity silver and were often somewhat crude. For that reason your coin may be in better shape than you think. Grading on these is fairly liberal.
In good shape without any damage or corrosion these coins sell between $5 and $10.
Thanks for the question! =)
- Add to this Answer
- Ask a Question
| Rating(1-10) | Knowledgeability = 10 | Clarity of Response = 10 | Politeness = 10 |
| Comment | Wonderful! Thank you so much for your timely response! I appreciate your help - I wasn't able to find anything online, so you've been most helpful! | ||
Related Articles
- Australian Money - What You Need to Know About Australian Money
- Easy Magic Tricks: Seeing With Your Fingers - Easy Magic Tricks With Coins
- Coin Errors - Mint Errors - Error Coins - Is the Mint Making Errors on Purpose?
- Sunken Treasure Coins - Sunken Treasure Ship Coins and What You Should Know Before You Buy Them
- Littleton's 50 State Quarters Offer - Is Littleton a Good Deal
Answers by Expert:
Dmitry Livshits
Expertise
My specialty is world coins from the 18th to 20th centuries, primarily non-US foreign coins and related areas such as errors and exonumia (tokens, medals, etc.). I can answer questions relating to identification, grading, selling, preservation and evaluation of such items. In addition to catalog value, I can give you the practical market value and trends for specific types of coins. I will also take questions regarding counterfeits (both modern and antique) and on how to identify them. I am NOT knowledgeable in paper money/banknotes, ancient or "shipwreck" coins. Thank you.
Experience
Collector of world coins since early childhood. Access to a variety of auction records and reference material. You can also find me on Facebook.
Education/Credentials
A.S. in Psychology (2006), B.A. in Forensic Psychology (2008), M.A. in Forensic Psychology (2011).
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.