S.A. Silver coin - Guatemala, 1888, 1/4 Real - Rampant Lion / 3x Volcanoes

Hi, my questions on this coin are fairly simple, I already am familiar with the series' used after this style in Guatemala.

I was hoping someone had a mintage for this year and type, but that is not my main question, nor why I started the thread.

- I started the thread to get an answer to a very simple question, however I also wanted to share what I find to be a very beautiful style coin with all my friends and fellow coin collectors on CT, I like this style alot more than the style on my 1894 1/4 Real of Guatemala that has the same volcanoes on one side with the date below, the other side has the denomination, surrounded by a wreath of some type, and 5 stars below.

Anyway, on to my question..... a fairly simple one to anyone who knows about, or collects this style coinage....
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main question: WHICH SIDE IS THE OBVERSE AND WHICH IS THE REVERSE ? ~
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Since on my 1894 1/4 Real, the obv appears to be the volcano side... but with the Lion on this one, I do not know whether the Rampant Lion facing left side is the obverse, or if the Volcanoes side is..... someone let me know please.
Muchas Gracias!

 

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Nice coin. I don't know anything about it, but I'd suspect the lion is the obverse and the volcano the reverse. The first rule of obverse/reverse is portrait on the front, and that lion is close to a portrait...

 

My Krause doesn't list a mintage, but does say that the side with the date is the obverse

 

I think that I've been thinking of this wrong on most coins. On coins like British commonwealth coins, the side with the queen just feels like the "back" to me. According to your rule though, that's the front, aka obverse. But when I think of American coins, it just makes sense that the side with the president is the obverse.

 

Guatemala

That is what I would have thought had I not seen the other, slightly later type struck ( like this Guatemala 1894 1/4 real I have that has a removed mount on the obv at 12 o'clock sadly ), where the volcanoes seem to be the obverse..... and my 1901 - 2004 Krause Modern World coins shows the 1901-H type with the volcanoes as the obverse... the Guatemala 1901-H 1/4 real is not silver though.... the only other earlier world coin book I have is from the 1980s.......so it has little.

 

Well, I do know that on almost all British Commonwealth coins the side with the king/queen is the obverse. I have been collecting Many British Commonwealth Nations for a while, especially Maundy coins and other small denomination silver coins. I find many very beautiful, especially Victorian and earlier. I think I have some of my nicer ones in one of my 'Galleries' or 'Albums' on here.

Thanks a bunch Billyray!!

I always admired this type the few times I saw it.

 

The mountains/slash volcano is the symbol for Guatemala. Hence it is the anapegrafhic form of Guatemala instead of the printed name of the country. This then makes it the Obverse.

 

By that logic it being the obverse makes sense.

 

What, me wrong? UNPOSSIBLE!!!

(Disregard what I said, these guys know about eleventy billion times as much as I do about coins. I'm just getting started but have a hard time keeping my mouth shut nonetheless. )

 

Mexico does the same thing. Both these countries governments are jittery about regionalism. Mexico doesn't even allow their states to have flags. They believe in the unifying force of symbolism, like most countries, but they tend to take it a step further. So in-conclusion, the Guatemalan coins that have the mountain/volcano or quetzal bird motif and the Mexican Eagle/Snake motif is always the obverse. No exceptions! :rollling:

 

y Mexico

Well then, here. Properlerly arranged for the Guatemalan one, these Mexican bullion coins I got are in individual pics and I can only post 5 so.... can't post both sides of both... One is an 1985 1 onza Libertad w/ edge lettering: 'INDEPENDENCIA Y LIBERTAD', great, thick coin, I only posted pics that show the edge lettering well, You can see the Eagle with the snake that jlblonde spoke of. I have more photos showing the coin design itself better, I also occasionally get a Mexican 1 Nuevo peso coin as a nickel in change at stores and shops here, so close to the border. The other coin is a smaller 1/4 onza from 1996, with a mintage of 50,000 and a reeded edge, I love them both.

 

Technically I put almost all of my coins into 2x2s backwards then (by writing on the side that is the reverse). But I put whatever side feels right on front, and I'm going to keep doing it. I usually find the design more interesting than the portrait of the ruler or national hero.

 

Blasphemy! He's a witch! :devil: