The Centenario is a Mexican

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

bullion coin A bullion coin (also known as a specie) is a coin struck from highly refined precious metal (bullion) and kept as a store of value or an investment rather than used in day-to-day commerce, or collectable, with numismatic value beyond that of its ...

first minted in 1921 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Mexico's independence from

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. The coin is not intended to be used as

currency A currency is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general definition is that a currency is a ''system of money'' in common use within a specific envi ...

; the face value of 50

pesos The peso is the monetary unit of several Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, as well as the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries of the Americas, the symbol commonly known a ...

is for legal purposes only, and does not reflect the actual value of the gold content. The

obverse The obverse and reverse are the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ''obverse'' ...

of the Centenario contains the image of Winged Victory (

El Ángel The Angel of Independence, most commonly known by the shortened name ''El Ángel'' and officially known as ''Monumento a la Independencia'' ("Monument to Independence"), is a victory column on a roundabout on the major thoroughfare of Paseo de l ...

, ''El Ángel de la Independencia'': "The Angel of Independence"), with a laurel wreath in her right hand and broken chains in her left. Two famous Mexican

volcano A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most oft ...

es, Popocatepetl and

Iztaccíhuatl Iztaccíhuatl or Ixtaccíhuatl (both forms also spelled without the accent) ( or, as spelled with the x, ) is a dormant volcanic mountain in Mexico located on the border between the State of Mexico and Puebla within Izta-Popo Zoquiapan National ...

, rise in the background. The 1821 on the lower left commemorates the year of Mexico's independence. The date on the right indicates year of mintage, with the 1921 and 1931 (the last year of the original series) mintages being particularly valuable. Production restarted in 1943 due to the demand for gold coins, and coins minted between 1949 and 1972 are usually marked "1947". This coin was designed by Emilio del Moral. The reverse depicts the

coat of arms of Mexico The coat of arms of Mexico (, lit. "national shield of Mexico") is a national symbol of Mexico and depicts a Mexican golden eagle, Mexican (golden) eagle perched on a Opuntia, prickly pear cactus devouring a rattlesnake. The design is rooted in ...

, which shows the

Golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of pr ...

perched on a cactus with a serpent (rattlesnake) in its beak. The Centenario weighs 41.67 grams and contains 37.5 grams (1.20565

troy ounce Troy weight is a system of units of mass that originated in the Kingdom of England in the 15th century and is primarily used in the precious metals industry. The troy weight units are the grain, the pennyweight (24 grains), the troy ounce (20 p ...

s) of gold in an alloy of 90% gold and 10% copper (

crown gold Crown gold is a 22 karat (kt) gold alloy used in the crown coin introduced in England in 1526 (by Henry VIII). In this alloy, the proportion of gold is 22 parts out of 24 (91.667% gold). Crown gold is appreciably less prone to wear than the sof ...

), and is 37 mm in diameter. The 1943 mintage is somewhat special because of the double "37.5 Gr Oro Puro" markings, leaving out the "50 pesos" legend, and has the same diameter : 37 mm. The original Centenario design was used in the later Libertad Series of gold and

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

bullion coins. 500px, center, 1947 Centenario (left), 1994 Gold Libertad (center) and a 2000 Gold Libertad

Minting history

* *With date of 1947

References

{{Portal bar, Mexico, Money, Numismatics Bullion coins of Mexico Gold bullion coins