Category: Reference Material

January 21, 2021

1994 Fuana Pelican 1 Peso Varieties

Post By coinacopiastore Reference Material

Variations In Paint on 1994 Pelican Peso

  • KM #497
  • Mintage 25,000
  • Enamel Over Nickel Plated Steel
  • Black Cheek
  • Black Eyelid 
  • Dark Brown Neck Flap
  • Darker Grey Feathers
  • White Cheek
  • White Eyelid 
  • Light Brown Neck Flap
  • Lighter Lavender Grey Feathers
  • Type Shown in Krause

What is The Proper Colorization?

Based on the 10 pesos version of this coin one can concluded that the proper colorization would be the peso on the left. But in the Krause catalog they show a coin similar to the one on the right. The difference was noticed when Coinacopia bought a roll of 20 of the 1p and approximate 10-10 were of each paint color. 

1994 10 Pesos Proof
July 29, 2020

Explanation of As Made Wrinkle Error Paper Money

Post By coinacopiastore Reference Material

What is an "As Made Wrinkle"?

An as made wrinkle is a wrinkle that was in the paper prior to printing. This in turn cause wrinkles to be permanently embedded in the paper of the note. As made wrinkles since they were produced unintentionally during printing do not hurt the grade of the note and are not considered mishandling. 

How Does an As Made Wrinkle Occur?

Typically as made wrinkles occur when during “wet-printing”. Wet-printing is the process of printing on wet paper. Wet paper printing was has mostly been replaced throughout the world by more modern printing techniques. As made wrinkles were most prominent on obsolete US banknotes and notes printed prior to 1950 throughout the world. Since about 2010 there has been a large increase in as made wrinkles printed on CUC and CUP banknotes from Cuba. 

As Made Wrinkle on 1864 Confederate $1 Banknote

As Made Wrinkle on 2016 Cuban 3 Pesos Convertible Banknote

July 23, 2020

Explanation of Silver 1897 Cuban Souvenir Peso Varieties

Post By coinacopiastore Reference Material

How Many Varieties?

There are three recognized varieties of Silver Souvenir Pesos from 1897. In this article I will explain the differences in each and touch on different things to look for when grading/ buying these coins. 

Variety Number One "PAT. 97 on Neck / Wide Date"

Key Points
  • Krause X# M1
  • Mintage 828
  • Features PAT.97 on the base of neck
  • Features large gaps between numbers in the date 
  • NGC has certified these as “Wide Date” and “PAT. 97 on Neck”
  • PCGS has certified these as “PAT. 97” 
Strike Quality Differences in PAT. 97 Pesos
Grading PAT. 97 Pesos
  • Grading services will check the highlighted areas for rub when determining if the coin is uncirculated (MS) or About uncirculated (AU)
  • Lack of details does not imply that the coin is not uncirculated. These coins often had weak strikes which can result in missing details.
  • Nearly all souvenir pesos have a dull gray color and do not have as much luster as other .900 silver coins
  • The coin pictured is PCGS MS62 

Variety Number Two "Close Date Star Below Baseline"

Key Points
  • Krause X# M2
  • Mintage 4,286
  • Features star on right side blow the 7 in 1897
  • NGC has certified these recently as “Close Date” 
  • PCGS has certified these as “Close Date Star Below”

Variety Number Three "Close Date Stars Above"

Key Points
  • Krause X# M3
  • Mintage 4,856
  • Features star on right side above baseline of date
  • NGC has certified these recently as “Close Date” 
  • PCGS has certified these as “Close Date Star Above”

Things to Remember When Buying Souvenir Pesos

  • NGC now certifies X#M2 and X#M3 as close date and does not describe whether the coin is star above or below. 
  • It is nearly impossible to to find these with lots of visual luster and eye appeal
  • PAT. 97 is the hardest of the 3 to find.

Author

Andrew Lydic – Numismatist – E-Commerce Manager at Coinacopia

Works Cited

Images courtesy of Heritage Auctions

“Cuba.” Unusual World Coins: Companion Volume to Standard Catalog of World Coins, by George S. Cuhaj, KP                     Books, 2011, pp. 158–159.