The facade of the Old Hotel Palace in Iquitos and the date 1912: the eighteenth coin of the Wealth and Pride of Peru series honours a landmark of the rubber boom in the Peruvian Amazon.

Iquitos grew rich on rubber in the early 20th century, and the luxury hotel became a symbol of that era; the date on the reverse is 1912. The coin represents the department of Loreto; its mintage is 12 million pieces.

The Central Reserve Bank of Peru issued the Wealth and Pride of Peru series from 2010 to 2016 to promote numismatic culture and spread knowledge of the country’s cultural heritage: 26 coins of 1 sol, one for each region. All of them are legal tender and circulate alongside ordinary coins. The obverse shows the coat of arms of Peru and the inscription BANCO CENTRAL DE RESERVA DEL PERÚ.

For a collection this is slot No. 18, Old Hotel Palace, in the 26-coin series. Uncirculated (UNC) condition means the coin has never been in circulation: there is no wear and the original mint lustre is intact.

If you are just starting a collection, the VPcoins catalogue makes it easy to find coins to build it around.