{"product_id":"peru-km-248-vicuna-1-sol-de-oro-xf-bright-1966-1975-date-varies-not-a-llama","title":"Peru KM#248 VICUÑA 1 Sol de Oro XF Bright—1966-1975 date varies—Vicuna—Not a Llama","description":"\u003cp\u003eA handsome circulated example of Peru's mid-century brass Sol de Oro — engraved by Armando F. Pareja at the Lima Mint and featuring the iconic \u003cstrong\u003evicuña\u003c\/strong\u003e, Peru's national animal. This XF example retains sharp detail throughout with only light wear on the high points.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eObverse\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eColors:\u003c\/strong\u003e golden brass, warm amber toning\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDesign:\u003c\/strong\u003e National emblem in a central circle — shield divided into three quarters (vicuña, cinchona tree, cornucopia), flanked by a laurel-and-palm wreath, with a civic crown above\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLettering:\u003c\/strong\u003e BANCO CENTRAL DE RESERVA DEL PERU (around circle); date 1970 below\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEngraver:\u003c\/strong\u003e Armando F. Pareja\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eReverse\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eColors:\u003c\/strong\u003e golden brass\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDesign:\u003c\/strong\u003e Vicuña (Vicugna vicugna) standing, facing right; engraver's signature PAREJA at lower left\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLettering:\u003c\/strong\u003e UN \/ SOL \/ DE ORO\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEngraver:\u003c\/strong\u003e Armando F. Pareja\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eOther Characteristics\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCatalog numbers:\u003c\/strong\u003e KM# 248; Schön# 53; Numista N#920\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eComposition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Brass\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9 g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDiameter:\u003c\/strong\u003e 28 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThickness:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2.04 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eShape:\u003c\/strong\u003e Round\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEdge:\u003c\/strong\u003e Reeded\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrientation:\u003c\/strong\u003e Coin alignment ↑↓\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMint:\u003c\/strong\u003e Lima, Peru (1565–date)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eYears issued:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1966–1975\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCurrency:\u003c\/strong\u003e Sol de Oro (1931–1985)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Demonetization_(currency)\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eDemonetized\u003c\/a\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1985\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIssuer:\u003c\/strong\u003e Banco Central de Reserva del Perú\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Ghost of the Andes\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt \u003cstrong\u003e4,500 meters above sea level\u003c\/strong\u003e — where the air is thin, the wind cuts like glass, and almost nothing survives — the \u003cstrong\u003evicuña\u003c\/strong\u003e (\u003cem\u003eVicugna vicugna\u003c\/em\u003e) moves like a rumor across the \u003cstrong\u003eAndean altiplano\u003c\/strong\u003e. Slender-legged, tawny-coated, impossibly graceful, it is one of the rarest and most protected animals on Earth. And for centuries, it was nearly gone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe vicuña produces what many consider the \u003cstrong\u003efinest natural fiber in the world\u003c\/strong\u003e — softer than cashmere, warmer than wool, and so delicate that a single animal yields barely \u003cstrong\u003e200 grams per year\u003c\/strong\u003e. The \u003cstrong\u003eInca\u003c\/strong\u003e understood this. They called the vicuña sacred, reserved its fiber exclusively for royalty, and managed wild herds through a ritual called the \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003echaku\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e — a great communal roundup in which thousands of animals were herded, shorn, and released unharmed. It was conservation before the word existed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThen came the \u003cstrong\u003eSpanish conquest\u003c\/strong\u003e. The chaku collapsed. Firearms arrived. By the \u003cstrong\u003e1960s\u003c\/strong\u003e — the very decade this coin was struck — the vicuña population had crashed from an estimated \u003cstrong\u003e2–3 million\u003c\/strong\u003e animals to fewer than \u003cstrong\u003e10,000\u003c\/strong\u003e. It was one of the most dramatic wildlife collapses in South American history, driven almost entirely by poaching for its pelt.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePeru responded. In \u003cstrong\u003e1969\u003c\/strong\u003e, the government declared the vicuña a \u003cstrong\u003enational symbol\u003c\/strong\u003e and banned all hunting and trade. International agreements followed. Slowly, painstakingly, the herds recovered. Today there are roughly \u003cstrong\u003e350,000 vicuñas\u003c\/strong\u003e in the wild — a conservation success story that took decades of political will and community cooperation to achieve.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe animal on this coin is not merely decorative. It is a \u003cstrong\u003estatement of identity\u003c\/strong\u003e. The vicuña appears on Peru's national coat of arms — the same emblem engraved on the obverse — because it represents something the Peruvian state wanted to say about itself: that this land, and its creatures, are worth protecting. Engraver \u003cstrong\u003eArmando F. Pareja\u003c\/strong\u003e rendered it with quiet dignity: standing still, alert, facing right — as if it knows exactly what it represents.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOwn this coin and you hold a small brass record of that moment — the early 1970s, when Peru was fighting to bring the vicuña back from the edge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eA Note on Coin Grading\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe grade coins by condition — how much wear a coin shows from use. Below is the scale we use, from unworn to well-circulated.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCondition Grades\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eUncirculated (BU)\u003c\/strong\u003e — Bank-fresh: Full mint detail, no wear. May show light nicks or bag marks from contact with other coins. Never circulated.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAbout Uncirculated (AU)\u003c\/strong\u003e — A whisper of wear: Still shiny with nearly full luster; only the very highest points show the faintest rub. Looks new at a glance.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eExtremely Fine (XF)\u003c\/strong\u003e — Lightly circulated: Sharp detail throughout, light wear on the high points, with traces of original shine in protected areas.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eVery Fine (VF)\u003c\/strong\u003e — Honestly circulated: Moderate, even wear. Every detail still fully visible, but the high points are smoothed and the original luster is gone.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFine \u0026amp; below\u003c\/strong\u003e — Well-worn: Clearly circulated with major detail visible but softened. Honest, everyday-grade coins.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eA Note on Shine\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSeparately from wear, we may note a coin as \u003cem\u003eBright\u003c\/em\u003e or \u003cem\u003eToned\u003c\/em\u003e. Many circulated coins — including ones pulled straight from pocket change — are still bright and eye-catching, while others have naturally dulled or darkened, particularly the brass or \"gold\" portion of bimetallic coins. This is independent of grade: a lightly circulated coin can be bright, and an unworn coin can be toned.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlease note: Grades are assigned by visual inspection and reflect our best honest assessment. Individual coins are representative of their grade tier and may vary slightly. Natural toning and minor contact marks develop over a coin's lifetime, are normal, and are not considered defects.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"World Money Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52585371205943,"sku":"PE248XF","price":1.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/7165\/3431\/files\/KM248rcopy.jpg?v=1782901501","url":"https:\/\/worldmoneystore.com\/products\/peru-km-248-vicuna-1-sol-de-oro-xf-bright-1966-1975-date-varies-not-a-llama","provider":"World Money Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}