4 Sol Plurinational State of Bolivia (1825 - ) Silver

1830, Bolivia (Republic). Nicely Struck Silver 4 Soles Coin.

Mint Year: 1830
Mint Place: Potosi
Reference: KM-96a.
Denomination: 4 Soles
Diameter: 32mm
Material: Silver
Weight: 13.8gm

Obverse: Laureate and uniformed bust of Simon Bolivar right.
Legend: LIBRE POR LA CONTITUCION. / BOLIVAR.

Reverse: Alpacas (Llamas) reclining on either side of a palm tree. Six stars above.
Legend: REPUBLICA BOLIVIANA • PTSI (monogram) • 1830 • 4S • J • L •

Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar Palacios y Blanco, commonly known as Simón Bolívar (July 24, 1783 – December 17, 1830) was a South American political leader. Together with José de San Martín, he played a key role in Latin America’s successful struggle for independence from Spain.

Following the triumph over the Spanish Monarchy, Bolívar participated in the foundation of the first Republic of Colombia (today referred to by historians as “Gran Colombia” to avoid confusion with the current nation of the same name), a nation formed from several former Spanish colonies. He was President of Gran Colombia from 1819 to 1830. Bolívar is credited with contributing decisively to the independence of the present-day countries of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Bolivia and is revered as a national hero in them.

Simón Bolívar’s political legacy has been massive and he is a very important figure in South American political history. Claims to the mantle of Simón Bolívar began in the 1840s and have continued throughout modern times. The ‘Bolivarianism’ of the last two decades, is simply one of the latest manifestations of this phenomenon.

It took more than a decade to rehabilitate his image in South America. By the 1840s the memory of Bolívar proved useful for the construction of a sense of nationhood. In Venezuela, in particular, the state sponsored a type of a ‘cult’ to Bolívar, first under the President José Antonio Páez and most dramatically under President Antonio Guzmán Blanco. Because the image of Bolívar became central to the national identities of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, his mantle is claimed by nearly all politicians from all parts of the political spectrum.