A Beautiful Mexican Silver Coin From Quartzsite, Arizona

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Yesterday I saw a post by @ecoinstant , he was visiting Guadalajara, Mexico. I have to admit I was a bit jealous, that is such a fun city. Back in the 90's I had a friend who went to medical school there and I visited him a few times. It was a blast, with so much to do. Sadly, since the whole cartel mess popped up in Mexico I haven't been back and I used to visit fairly frequently.

Reading his post did get me thinking about several silver coins I have from Mexico. I've been meaning to share more of them with everyone for some time now. I picked up a lot of silver Mexican coins when I lived close to the border in Arizona back in the 2000's. They were an inexpensive way to buy silver and I took advantage. These days Mexican silver coins have become expensive, so I'm glad I bought when I did.

This particular coin I picked up in Quartzsite, Arizona when I was passing through. It's kind of a odd town full of mineral and rock shops , but it's a lot of fun to explore. If you're ever passing through take a couple of hours to look around, you won't regret it! Back to the coin...

It's a 1943 20 Centavos coin and is in pretty good condition. have a look:

About the coin:


From numista.com

Although not a real big coin, it's not been horribly circulated and you can see all of the details well. What I have always loved in Mexican coinage is the nice detailing they have always done. This is no exception! Although it's only 3.3 grams of .720 silver worth about $2.50 at silver spot price today. It's probably worth at least $5 or more to a collector, and I think I paid $1 for it. At the time I though I overpaid, but it was too cool to pass up!

Quartzsite, Arizona


Gordon Leggett


fity.club


trip101.com

Often referred to as the gem capital of the world, Quartzsite is a small town along the I-10 freeway near the California border (halfway between Phoenix and Los Angeles.) The best time to visit is in winter when the temperatures are very pleasant, not hot or cold. But in summer it can reach 122 F (50 C), the desert southwest of the US can be very hot. There are several gem shows here yearly and the RV parks fill up quickly and a reservation is a good idea. There aren't many nice hotels...

There are some really nice rock and gem shops to check out. My favorite has always been T-Rocks, they have an amazing selection of mineral and gem stones. If you like pretty rocks, it a must see. The are a couple of gem shops nearby and even a gum wrapper museum. Yes, gum wrappers. A lady put together a museum of gum wrappers from around the world. It's interesting, but unless you are a huge gum fan, you might want to pass.

If you are into off road vehicles this is a great place as well. Miles and miles of trails and open desert. It's not as nice as Moab, Utah, but few place are when it comes to off roading!

There is also some interesting history to be found as well. In 1856 Jefferson Davis was the secretary of war of the United States. He later became the president of the Confederacy during the Civil War. However, he felt that camels would be a great way to help settlers cross the desert southwest. So, he arranged for camels to be imported and hired a Syrian camel trainer named Hadji Ali. The program failed as the Civil War broke out and the camels were released into the wild. Hadji stayed in the US and settled in Quartzsite, he became a beloved member of the town going by the nickname Hi Jolly. He died in 1902 at age 74 and the town build him an tomb of petrified wood and quartz that took several weeks to construct. He ended up with his very own pyramid!


pinterest.com

A great piece of American history to see right there outside of Quartzsite. The irony was that the camels long outlived Hi Jolly, they were last sighted in 1942. It's sad the program never really had a chance to get going because it probably would have been a huge success.

At any rate, Quartzsite is a funky, cool little town to visit if you're ever driving between Los Angeles, California and Phoenix, Arizona.

That will wrap up my post for today. I bet you never saw that twist coming, a Mexican coin leading to a post about Quartzsite. To be honest it wasn't planned, it just happened... I hope you enjoyed the coin and learning about Quartzsite and Hadji Ali. Too bad the camels aren't around anymore though. Please feel free to leave any comments or questions below, and thank you for all of your support. Have a great week everyone!

References:

https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces5566.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quartzsite%2C_Arizona

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hi_Jolly_Monument

Disclaimer:

I am not a financial planner and this isn't financial advice. Please always do your own research before investing your money. You worked hard enough to earn it!

All pictures are mine unless otherwise indicated

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49 comments
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You received an upvote of 90% from Precious the Silver Mermaid!

Thank you for contributing more great content to the #SilverGoldStackers tag.
You have created a Precious Gem!

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Nice. I've never been to Mexico,always wanted to see the pyramids and ruins.

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They are impressive and worth the trip! Not sure how safe travel is to Mexico City these days though.

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We have some pretty big mines near where I live. I think they are mostly limestone and calcite though. This is a pretty cool piece. I was looking at some Mexican silver when I was doing some online browsing the other day. I think I'd like to maybe get at least one of those Libertads in my next order.

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The Libertad is a great piece of artwork, I love those rounds! I have quite a few, but I could always use a few more! Stacker mentality!

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I'm starting to understand!

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Very nice brother! Now you need to go Det art a camel farm there and make your fortune😀

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Fun! I hear camels spit and can be unpleasant at times. So I'll pass on the camels! There were a couple herds of wild camels in the US for many years after that, but I think hunters killed them all off.

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I remember driving through Quartzsite years ago on the way to Joshua Tree. It was in January, so not much activity that I recall.
I have some old Mexican coins around here somewhere. I should look for them. Nothing as nice as yours!

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Most of the time it's pretty quiet, unless there's a gem show going on. I used to drive that way a lot so I have been there many, many times!

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It is such a beautiful area! I remember enjoying the trains along hwy 10. I have a big bowl full of rocks that I picked up from beside the back roads and washes that we we explored.

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You can find some really cool stuff in washes, I've known people who have literally picked up a gold nuggets just sitting in a wash. Others have found geodes or quartz crystals, there are so many interesting rocks in that part of Arizona!

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I'm not a mineral expert, so most of the rocks I hauled home are just pretty or unusual and attracted my attention! If I want something specific I buy it from Eric @rt395

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Thank you for mentioning me. I'm still finding beautiful crystals and stones here in Japan and the USA!

As for Quartzite, yes, it is a gem and mineral hot spot. Starting in January several shows take place like Desert Gardens.

T-rocks is one of the best spots for rough rocks. I've been going there for over 10 years.

The mountains around Quartzite are indeed a treasure trove. Fluorite, wulfenite, vanadinite, quartz. fire agate, malachite, chrysocolla, zunyite and much more can be found, but you have to know where to look.

Nice silver coin BTW.

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I've always been more of a gold prospector and have found some nuggets around there and Yuma. T-Rocks has some really nice minerals don't they? I used to drive through there about once a month, so it's a town I know well! Are you in California?

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(Edited)

In So. Cal half the year, Tokyo half.

T-rocks is good for rough and some rarer rough at good prices.

I definitely still keep my eyes out for gold and silver, but I'm a gem and mineral dealer so the other stuff pays the bills.

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Quartzsite sounds like a very interesting little town!😊
122 degrees in the Summer…… definitely a good idea to visit in the Winter!😎

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I've stopped there for gas in summer many times, and it is very, very hot. Almost overwhelming hot, but at least it's a dry hot!

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I remember shopping in Grand Junction, Colorado in summertime. It was the closest big city to the little town we lived in called Gunnison.
One day it was 110° with a hot wind blowing!
Dry… But still hot Lol!🥵

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I've heard Quartzsite is the mecca for dirty hippies living the #vanlife

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It is, lots of hippies with plenty of cannabis, even before it was legal! It's kind of like a tiny Truth or Consequences in New Mexico, same hippie feel and lots of marijuana!

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Levi was telling me about T/C ... I haven't been there yet.. just drove thru

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It's a weird town, lot of little shops and restaurants. Several cannabis shops of course, and the hot springs are nice to soak in!

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Cool coin and interesting facts about the Davis camel plan. Pretty cool tribute to the camel trainer. It's amazing the camels survived that long in the wild.

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They would probably still be there if hunters hadn't finished them off. The desert southwest is a perfect environment for camels to live. It really was a shame to program wasn't able to get off the ground because it would have worked and made crossing the desert much easier.

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I agree perfect conditions. I wonder if the population brought over was enough to flourish and reproduce. Once there were prehistoric camels here.

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You would think it would have to have been. They meant to make it a huge program when fist envisioned.

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Gum wrappers, !LOL
Any Camels still running wild around Quartzite?

!BBH

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There are occasional purported sightings of a camel every few years, but I think the hunters killed them all off back in the 1940's. It's a shame too, the camel first evolved in North America but went extinct. It would be fun to see herds of camels in the wild roaming like the wild mustangs.
!BBH
!LUV

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That is a pretty interesting story, especially about the camel and Hi Jolly.
Well I think he became the American Pharaoh with his pyramid.

!PIZZA !LOLZ !LUV

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The towns people loved the guy, it took three weeks to build his monument so they must have liked him! Plus his pyramid never got hit by tomb robbers like all the ones in Egypt did! lol
!PIZZA
!BBH
!LOL

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Wow, those gems are beautiful! It's a very interesting story and place. I wish I could visit Mexico and this particular place.

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Arizona is a much safer place than Mexico these days. I used to love to head down to Mexico on vacation but with the cartel violence now it's not worth the risk. Arizona is a beautiful place to visit for sure!
!BBH

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