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2 Reales Rafael Carrera
| Issuer | Guatemala |
|---|---|
| Year | 1859 |
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| Currency | Peso (1859-1912) |
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| Obverse description | Unadorned bust of Rafael Carrera facing left, rendered in low relief within a plain field. The portrait depicts the subject with short hair and civilian dress, engraved by Apolinario España. A continuous Latin legend encircles the effigy, with the engraver's signature FRENER F. appearing at the lower rim. The portrait is contained within an inner beaded border, itself surrounded by a coarsely toothed outer border. |
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| Reverse description | The arms of Guatemala occupy the central field, depicting a shield charged with crossed rifles and swords, surmounted by a radiant sun above a quetzal bird, flanked by laurel branches and crossed cannons, with a scroll bearing the motto REPUBLICA SUB D.O.M. below. The denomination DOS RS (Two Reales), fineness indicator 10DS, and weight standard 20GS are inscribed in large raised letters along the lower portion of the design, with the date 1859 appearing at the lower right. The entire design is enclosed within an inner beaded border and a coarsely toothed outer border, consistent with the milled coinage of the period. |
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| Additional information |
Rafael Carrera ruled Guatemala as a largely self-taught caudillo who rose from pig farmer to head of state — the only Central American leader of the period to successfully resist annexation into larger regional federations. By 1859 he had declared Guatemala a perpetual republic with himself as president for life, a political arrangement that gave the treasury unusual stability and allowed for consistent silver coinage when neighboring states were issuing debased or paper alternatives.
KM#133 is associated with the Nueva Guatemala mint, operating under fairly tight fineness controls for the period.