Rare coin from Curaçao’s monetary history auctioned for over 700,000 Caribbean guilders
WILLEMSTAD – A rare gold coin from Curaçao’s monetary history has been sold at an auction for 390,400 dollars, equivalent to approximately 702,000 Caribbean guilders. In euros, the coin fetched over 336,000 euros.
The coin is a 180-real gold piece dating from the early nineteenth century. At the time, the coin was officially stamped on Curaçao, allowing it to be used as legal tender on the island.
The coin is exceptional because very few specimens from this period have survived. The auctioned piece is considered unique and is believed to be the only known example in the world bearing this specific stamp on a heavy Brazilian gold coin from 1728.
Background
The background lies in the turbulent monetary situation on Curaçao around 1815. To resolve a shortage of reliable coinage, foreign gold coins were given an official Curaçaoan counterstamp, granting them legal value for use on the island.
The coin was sold by the American auction house Stack’s Bowers Galleries. The auction house had initially estimated a yield of around 100,000 dollars. In the end, nearly four times that amount was paid.
With the sale, a remarkable piece of Curaçaoan monetary history has, according to the auction house, disappeared into a private top-tier collection.
