An 1828 Costa Rica 8 escudos sells for US$146,400

La Nación (Gustavo Ortega Campos, 31 August 2026) reports that a gold 8 escudos struck in Costa Rica in 1828 — seven years after Central American independence — sold online for US$146,400 (about ₡65,884,392 at the Monex rate of ₡450.03 per dollar cited by the paper).

Stack’s Bowers and the type

Stack’s Bowers Galleries (California, 1933) opened the bidding at US$120,000. The pre-sale estimate was US$200,000 to US$300,000. The catalogue calls the piece an “exceptionally desirable and very rare” example of the first Costa Rican onza: a sharp strike, with deep definition in the radiant sun and original mint bloom. It is certified by NGC at 63+ on the Sheldon scale (1 to 70).

By midday, the note says, it was the second-highest result among the 175 coins already sold in World Coins Session A, part 1 (Portugal, Spain, and Latin America, 483 lots), behind only a Spanish 4 escudos at US$189,100.

The 2025 record and the museum

The highest price paid for a Costa Rican coin, according to La Nación, remains 27 August 2025: US$240,000. An example of the same type is on view at the BCCR Museums Foundation under Plaza de la Cultura in San José; the bank does not publish its value. More detail in La Nación (opens in a new tab).