(Excerpt from Introduction)

The present work was finished in 1992. In the same year Tomás Stohr has published in Caracas his extensive and handsome volume "Macuquinas de Venezuela". His work concentrates principally on the Venezuelan issues although it does touch upon some of the coins discussed in this work. Even though the present work does not duplicate much of his information but rather complements and widens its scope, for one reason or another it had to wait until now for its publication.