Guatemala 1/2, 1, 2, and 4 Reales 1873 to 1912

Guatemala minted these real (pronouced ray-al) in various denominations from 1879 to 1912. All have same seated Justice pattern with quetzal (bird) and scroll reverse, but not all denominations are available in all years. The composition is either silver or copper-nickel. Statistics:

1/2 (MEDIO) REAL 1879 to 1899: 0.04 troy ounces silver, 14 mm diameter
1/2 REAL 1900 to 1901: copper-nickel (no silver), 18 mm diameter
1 REAL 1879 to 1899: 0.087 ounces silver, 20 mm diameter
1 REAL 1899: 0.076 ounces silver, 20 mm diameter
1 REAL 1899: 0.060 ounces silver, 20 mm diameter
1 REAL 1900 to 1912: copper-nickel (no silver), 20 mm diameter
2 (DOS) REALES 1879: 0.177 ounces silver, 23 mm diameter
2 REALES 1881 to 1899: 0.166 ounces silver, 23 mm diameter
4 (CUATRO) REALES 1873 to 1894: 0.362 ounces silver, 29 mm diameter

Except in the case of the 1899 real, it is easy to tell what you've got based on date and diameter.

Approximate catalog values are:

1/2 REAL SILVER
worn: $2 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $3
well preserved: $5
fully uncirculated: $10
1/2 real dated 1893 are more rare, cataloging near $40 in well preserved condition

1/2 REAL COPPER-NICKEL
worn: less than $1 US dollar approximate catalog value
average circulated: $1
well preserved: $2
fully uncirculated: $4

1 REAL SILVER
worn: $2 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $4
well preserved: $6
fully uncirculated: $12
reals dated 1879 are more rare, cataloging near $40 in well preserved condition
reals dated 1898 are somewhat rare, cataloging near $20 in well preserved condition
reals dated 1899 and marked 0.750 near the date are quite rare, cataloging near $300 in well preserved condition

1 REAL COPPER-NICKEL
worn: less than $1 US dollar approximate catalog value
average circulated: $1
well preserved: $2
fully uncirculated: $5

2 REALES
worn: BV*
average circulated: BV plus $1
well preserved: BV plus $3
fully uncirculated: BV plus $8
2 reales dated 1892 are rare, cataloging near $300 in well preserved condition

4 REALES
worn: BV* plus $8
average circulated: BV plus $12
well preserved: BV plus $30
fully uncirculated: BV plus $80
4 reales dated 1892 are very rare, cataloging near $1500 in well preserved condition
4 reales dated 1893 are rare, cataloging near $600 in well preserved condition

'BV' in the above listings means 'base value' or the value obtained by multiplying the silver weight by the current price of silver.

To reach these levels, coins must be free of all problems such as spots, stains, scratches, cleanings, nicks, gouges, and the like. See our Important Terminology page.
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