Lot 411
Chile / Bolivia, Treaty of Peace and Friendship 1904, Gold medal 1904.
Ancient, British & World Coins| C26002
Auction: 30 March 2026 at 10:30 GMT
Description
Treaty of Peace and Friendship 1904, to define finally the boundaries between the two countries after Bolivia lost the War of the Pacific 1879 –1883. Gold medal 1904 (38mm; 35.18gm. XRF as 90% AV) by Guillermo Cordova. Minerva holding up a torch and two flags, beside her a condor, with a cornucopia at her feet, rev. The two arms of Chile and Bolivia divided by a caduceus (trade) with olive and palm-branch below (Peace and Friendship), TRATADO DE PAZ AMISTRAD Y COMMERCIO, XX DE OCTUBRE DE MCMIV. (-) Extremely Fine, matt surfaces, in contemporary box. Very Rare.
Footnote
In 1879 Chile went to war with Bolivia and its ally Peru over disagreements re. taxing of joint mining concessions. However, in 1880 Chile decisively beat the allies at the battle of Tacna and Bolivia retired from the war and as reparations Chile took the province of Litoral from Bolivia, ie. its entire access to the sea, thus rendering Bolivia a landlocked country. It was only in 1904 that Bolivia grudgingly accepted this situation and the border was formally recognised in the above treaty ceding the whole of its coastline to Chile but retaining unencumbered access to duty-free formerly owned ports. Bolivia is still unhappy with this state of affairs and has as recently as 2018 taken Chile to the International Court of Justice over its sovereign right of access to the sea.
