A Peruvian coin with interesting details

Early history

(Map of South America, with Peru highlighted. From Wikipedia).

The Republic of Peru in western South America is bordered (Clockwise from North) by Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia and Chile. Some of the earliest societies in South America developed in northern Peru over 5,000 years ago.

Caral

One of the first complex civilisations was the Caral, near the coast. Dating before 3,200 BC. the society prospered for nearly 1,200 years. Known for their use of textiles and production of cotton, which they used to fashion fishing nets. They had a population of around 3,000 people. They fished in the nearby Pacific ocean, and likely the rivers in the region as well. Animal bone instruments and stone jewellery have been found, but the lack of weaponry suggests they were a peaceful society. Without a written language, they developed the “Quipu“, a record keeping and counting device made of knotted strings.

(Image of a Quipu, from PeruForLess.com).

Chavin

The Chavin civilisation, established in the Andean highlands were religious and ritualistic. Many ceramics and artworks have been found, and they used rock minerals such as granite and limestone. They domesticated Camelids, for both meat and wool, further progressing textile use. The Chavin were proficient in metalwork, including soldering and melting gold for jewlery and art. They shared many of their practices with others around Peru from around 1,000 to 200 BC.

Quechua

Quechua-speaking communities continue to play a distinguished role in Peru today, but their roots extend back over 1,000 years. Their language, amalgamated from various local languages, became so dominant it was the primary language of trade for the Incas, and still has over 10 million speakers today.

Aymara

One of the most influential pre-Inca societies was the Aymara. They herded camelids and produced potato and oca crops, cultivating reeds which were used to make boats. The Aymara resisted outside forces, including the Inca, and they still have intricate and unique sub-cultures today.

The Incas

The most well-known Peruvian civilisations is the vast Inca empire. Stretching from Colombia, down through Chile and Argentina. The Incas developed in the 13th and 14th centuries, and soon spread. They built a vast network of road networks, traded cultural advances throughout the empire, and reached their peak in the 15th and 16th centuries. Combining and centralising many features of the earlier cultures, they helped disperse Peruvian, and South American culture, on a wider scale.

Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel situated on a mountain ridge 2,430 metres (7,970 ft) above sea level. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, and one of the new seven wonders of the world. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472). Often mistakenly referred to as the “Lost City of the Incas” (a title more accurately applied to Vilcabamba), Machu Picchu is the most familiar icon of Inca civilization. The Incas built the estate around 1450 but abandoned it a century later at the time of the Spanish Conquest.

(Machu Picchu, from New7Wonders.com).

Spanish

In the 16th Century the Spanish arrived in Peru, and so did Smallpox. The result was the defeat of the Incas, and the establishment of Lima as the most important city in colonial South America. Lima became home to the first university in the Americas in 1551. The mint in Lima was opened in 1568. In 1821, Peru declared independence from Spain, which is celebrated on 28th July each year.

Obverse

Like most Peruvian coins, the Obverse of the coin contains the coat of arms of Peru, which we looked at on another coin previously.

Below the coat of arms is the year. Around the edge of the coin is the name of the central bank, BANCO CENTRAL DE RESERVA DEL PERÚ (Central Reserve Bank of Peru).

The coin itself is round, but the rim is interesting. Rather than being round and so even all the way around, the inner rim is octagonal.

Reverse

The reverse contains the denomination written in the centre, “UN NUEVO SOL” (one new sol) on three lines. To the left is a wreath and to the right are vertical lines to the right.

On the right of the coin, in the middle of the lines is the mintmark for the Lima mint, a stylised monogram of the letters LIMA:

The coin also has the octagonal inner rim, and in this case, every second side has seven “stepped” triangles (Shown on the right of the mintmark image above). The Incas were renowned for using geometric shapes in their art, so although I don’t have a specific reference linking that to this coin, I think it is likely.

Variants

This coin was issued from 1991 – 2000. On some of the first, 1991 issue (KM 308.2) look out for the designer’s signature “F. DIAZ” just below the bottom of the wreath. This is found on about 8% of coins from that year, and is not found on other years (KM 308.1). On 1999 and 2000 dated coins, look for an accent on the U in Peru on the obverse.

The coin has braille above representing the number sign (⠼) and the number 1 (⠁). In Braille, the numbers 1 – 9, then 0 are represented by the same symbols as the letters a – j, hence the use of the number sign before them. From 2001 – 2011, the coin was issued as KM 308.4 without the Braille.

Finally, Numista notes a counterfeit version of this coin for 1993, which can be identified by having fewer, broken and faint lines behind the lama in the coat of arms. The genuine coin has consistent, regular lines. The counterfeit coin also has a crooked “L” in the Lima mintmark, vs the straight line in the genuine coin.

What is your favourite small detail on a coin? Let us know below!