A fascinating piece, medium yellow gold with some brightness from old polishing. The dies are not identical to the low karat example in the previous lot, but the die work is so similar that it seems impossible that different coiners were responsible for them. The first two 1857-B 5 Pesos listed here are struck from the same dies and show the same reeding, both quite distinct from this piece and the one that immediately precedes it. The reeding on this coin and the one just before it appear identical. While it is possible this coin is a genuine mint product, all things considered, it seems unlikely. The knowledgeable collector who assembled this collection considered it a circulating counterfeit. Some hairlines are present, and an old scrape is seen near the truncation of the bust. From the Eldorado Collection of Colombian and Ecuadorian Coins.<p>From Spink Americas sale of the Norweb Collection, March 1997, lot 534.
