Portugal, 100 Escudos 400th Anniversary of the Death of D. Antonio Prior do Crato

One of our dealers managed to get us two different 25 Centavo coins issued in Spain during their Civil War. One is dated 1927 and has a crown and a hammer on it. The second is dated 1934 and has Espana holding an olive branch. Both coins were struck with a hole in the middle and are in Very Fine condition. The Spanish Civil War, as are all civil wars, had a brother fighting brother. It was the Communists fighting the Fascists and in this case, the Fascists (with the help of Germany) came out on top. This pair of coins is getting increasingly difficult to find. We think they are fantastic but that they do represent a bloody and turbulent time in Spain’s history.

Perhaps the man who made the Spanish Civil War famous in the West was Ernest Hemingway. He not only took part in the conflict, but also wrote about it and it was that writing that brought it to our attention. Today Spain is almost on the brink of another Civil War with parts of the country trying to split off and gain independence. This 25 Centavo was issued in 1937, it has a group of arrows tied in a bow on one side and arms of Spain on the other side. Today this coin is 84 years old and in a very high grade. I have graded them Good Extremely Fine , but some dealers would call them uncirculated. I prefer to grade the coin properly so you are happy when it arrives. Another interesting point, is that the coin has a hole in the middle and was actually struck in Vienna! High quality and low prices make an interesting coin even more interesting…

Switzerland continued to strike its 5 franc coin in silver (.835) until 1969, by which time the cost had become unsustainable. Hoarding of silver coinage had also become a problem and was causing a shortage of coins in circulation. However, we can now offer one of these coins minted between 1931 and 1969, and in Very Fine condition. The obverse shows the image of a herdsman, who is often mistakenly assumed to be William Tell.