Description
Description
Type: 50 Mexican Pesos
- Material: Gold
- Mint: Mexico City
- Actual weight: 41.67 gr.
- Weight of pure gold content: 37.5g
- Pure gold: 900% (21.6 carats)
- Diameter: 37 mm
- Minting period: 1921 to 1947. Dr. Nike’s Athena alludes to the celebration of the centenary of independence from Spain.
The Mexico 50 Peso, or Centenario, was first produced in 1921 to commemorate the centennial of Mexico’s independence from Spain, declared on September 28, 1821. The Centenario was issued annually from 1921 to 1931 and again from 1944 to 1947. Demand was strong for the coin as a bullion issue, so the Mexico City Mint continued to produce gold 50 pesos with the 1947 date until 1972 and also in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Additionally, commemorative medals without the 50 peso denomination were issued in 1943 and on various dates in the 1950s and 1960s.
The standard weight is 41.67 grams, with a diameter of approximately 36 mm. However, small variations may exist depending on the year of minting and the mint. Most Centenario coins have a purity of 900 thousandths, meaning 90% pure gold and 10% alloy.
The gold coin's reddish-gold color is due to the presence of 10% copper in the gold alloy, which also gives it good scratch resistance.
The obverse depicts the goddess of victory with outstretched wings holding a laurel wreath in her outstretched hand, a symbol of freedom, with two Mexican volcanoes, Popocatépetl and Ixtaccihuati, depicted in the background.
On the left, beneath the motif, is the year 1821, the date of independence from Spain; on the right is the year of minting. Directly to the left of the main motif is the face value “50 Pesos,” and to the right is the gold content “37.5 GR PURE GOLD.”
The reverse depicts an eagle holding a snake in its talon and beak. The eagle sits on a cactus perched on a rock in the middle of a lake. The inscription reads “ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS,” meaning “United States of Mexico.”
The edge is smooth with the writing “Independicia y Libertad” which means “Independence and Freedom”
