One of the joys of Libertad collecting is that even if you have think you’ve seen it all, you haven’t. This month a 2015 two-ounce silver Proof Libertad with a “detached wing” designation from NGC sold for $799. You can clearly see the wing looks like it was detached from the winged angel’s body—and of course, anybody who has read Gabriel García Márquez knows that real angels have wings that are attached to their bodies. Take a look at your 2015 two-ounce silver Proofs—likely there are more out there.
As if hunting for set completion weren’t enough of a sport, there are even more varieties of Libertads that have popped up in the past few years.
- Doubled-die obverse bullion coins (usually 1987, but also 1982).
- Bullion coins lacking a dot in the fineness (1989).
- Bullion coins with 8 dots on the cactus pad under the eagle’s left claw (1991). Before 1991, only the Proof versions had 8 dots, but some of the bullion coins appeared with dot anomaly.
- Bullion coins with the O and Z in “onza” in uppercase letters (Type 2, 1991 variety)
- Proof coins with die errors (examples here and here)
- Bullion coins with partial-collar error strikes (at least 1 known)
We are all looking forward to the 2017 releases of the winged angels. Until then: be on the look-out for varieties! ❑
Eric says
Great article Gabe,
do you have any figures on the 8 dot on cactus proof?
and what lettered edge varieties exist?
Dustyroads says
Nice article. I checked my 2015 seven coin Libertad proof set last night for the 2 oz. detached wing. It’s evident to me that the 2 oz. in particular has what appears to be a weak strike area where the wing was detached in the above example, much more so than in the other sizes. I also discovered that the 1 oz. and 1/2 oz. sizes have much more of the frosting effect than all the others.
TG says
I’ve been doing some hunting recently and think I might have found a few other varieties. How do I submit them for designation?
How do I know if my finds are truly varieties?
billrod1937 says
I have two certified 1988 proof 1 oz Libertads (NGC PF-69 UC) that do NOT have a decimal point before 999 fineness. These are not mentioned above and Don Bailey does not mention them in his recent book Mexican Money volume 2. Does anyone else have this variety?
I checked my 2004 1 oz proof Libertad (NGC-69 UC) and it also has the die crack exactly as shown on the coin above (sold on Ebay recently for more than $6900) but is not indicated on the NGC holder. It is very possible that more exist.
Miguel P. says
I have found a few 1982 double dies varieties , but there is also a triple die . How do I differentiate one from the other ? Great article by the way .
billrod1937 says
Hello Miguel P.
Go to this link on NGC Registry and click on the “view image” for the 1982 DDO and TDO coins. Also read the descriptive information.
http://coins.www.collectors-society.com/registry/coins/SetListing.aspx?PeopleSetID=182516
I hope this helps.
Miguel P. says
Thanks billrod1937, I will check it out .