VENEZUELA. Gold 5 Venezolanos Essai (Pattern), 1875. Paris Mint. PCGS SPECIMEN-65. Fr-4A; KM-E20; Stohr-E37. Reeded edge. Mintage: 10 (estimated). Presenting all of the technical precision and resounding beauty that one would come to expect for a Paris mint product, this stunning Gem is seemingly the finest known of the scant handful of examples held privately.
With what is likely half of the paltry mintage residing in public collections, like the Banco Central in Caracas and the Banco de Maracaibo, or in public locales, such as beneath the cornerstone of a statue to Bolivar in Caracas, it leaves collectors only the <strong>RAREST</strong> of opportunities to acquire such a momentous piece. It is abundantly clear that the present specimen far exceeds other such examples, like an NGC PROOF-62 Cameo in November 2022 (<em>realizing $78,000 total</em>), the Clapp-Eliasberg-Millennia specimen (<em>last selling in 2008</em>), also an NGC PROOF-62 Cameo, and the Farouk-Pittman example (<em>last selling in 1999</em>). As such, for the most advanced collector of Venezuelan issues, Latin American rarities, or connoisseur-level world gold more broadly, this wondrous piece should undoubtedly generate the highest levels of allure and consideration--precisely what one would expect for what can only be described as a generational striking.
Ex: Leon Armitano Collection [Fig 95 in Monedas De Venezuela]