Mexico Centenario Peso

1) Recognition - Name - Country of Origin
The gold coins of the Centenario "family" were minted by the Mexican Mint, Casa de Moneda de México, from 1905 to 1959. The bullion coins were named after the centennial anniversary of the Mexican War of Independence. These gold coins have a fineness of 900/1000.

2) Description of the Coin
On the obverse (front) of the Centenario (50 Pesos coin), the Victory Angel, Libertad, symbolizing Mexico's independence, is depicted. The design was inspired by the El Angel de la Independencia monument in Mexico City. In the background, the Mexican landscape with the volcanoes Iztaccihuatl and Popocatepetl is faintly visible, along with the denomination and fineness of the gold coin. The year 1821 represents the Mexican independence year, and the adjacent year denotes the minting year.

The Azteca (20 Pesos coin) features the Sun Stone, an Aztec calendar considered a national monument for Mexicans, with the fineness "15 Gr. ORO PURO" below.

The Hidalgo (2, 2.5, 5, 10 Pesos coin) is named after Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a hero of the Mexican independence movement. The larger denominations display a portrait of Hidalgo, and the inscription includes the denomination in words, such as "DIEZ PESOS" for the Hidalgo, "CINCO PESOS" for the ½ Hidalgo, and "DOS Y MEDIO PESOS" for the ¼ Hidalgo, as well as the mintmark and the year of mintage. The 1/5 Hidalgo features the denomination "DOS PESOS" surrounded by a laurel wreath.

Except for the 50 Pesos gold coins, the denomination on all issues is expressed in words rather than numerals.

On the reverse of the gold coins, there is an eagle holding a coiled snake in its beak and claws while perched on a cactus growing from a rock in a lake. Below the eagle, there are intertwined oak and laurel branches. Above the eagle, the inscription "ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANAS" (United Mexican States) is visible. The Azteca coin also displays the year of mintage on this side.

The edge of the gold coins is smooth and inscribed with the phrase "INDEPENDENCIA Y LIBERTAD" (Independence and Freedom).

3) Face Value - Legal Tender - Value
The gold coins were once used as official legal tender. However, like all bullion coins, the nominal value imprinted on them is of subordinate significance as the material value far exceeds it.

4) Other Units - Denominations
No other units or denominations are present, as shown in the table below:

5) Besonderheiten - Prägejahre - Geschichte - Auflage
The Mexican Peso gold coins from the Centenario family are among the world's oldest bullion coins and can be considered predecessors to the Libertad gold coins introduced since 1981. Originally minted from 1905 to 1959, the Mexican Mint, Casa de Moneda de México, has issued re-strikes of these historical gold coins in significant quantities.

The Centenario has a face value of 50 Pesos and was first minted in 1921 to commemorate Mexico's 100th independence anniversary from Spain. It was the largest circulating gold coin worldwide at that time. The coin was re-struck between 1949 and 1972 with approximately four million pieces minted, all bearing the year 1949. The 1942 design is of particular interest, with a very limited mintage of about 90,000 pieces. Instead of the denomination, the fineness "37.5 Gr. ORO PURO" was double-stamped on this coin.

The Azteca has a face value of 20 Pesos. The original coins were minted between 1917 and 1921, and re-strikes have been available since 1959.

The Hidalgo comes in four different denominations: 10 Pesos, 5 Pesos, 2½ Pesos, and 2 Pesos. The Hidalgo was the first gold coin of the Centenario family to be issued. The original 10 Pesos piece was minted from 1905 to 1955, the 5 Pesos piece from 1905 to 1959, the 2.5 Pesos piece from 1918 to 1948, and the 2 Pesos piece from 1919 to 1948. Re-strikes have been available for the 2 and 2½ Pesos coins since 1945, for the 5 Pesos coin since 1955, and for the 10 Pesos coin since 1959.

On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of independence, the 200 Pesos Bicentenario, matching the size and weight of the Centenario, was introduced.