The peso moneda nacional was the currency of Argentina

Economy of Argentina

This article provides an overview of the Economic history of Argentina.-Emergence into the world economy:Prior to the 1880s, Argentina was a relatively isolated backwater, dependent on the wool, leather and hide industry for both the greater part of its foreign exchange and the generation of...

 between November 5, 1881 and December 31, 1969. It was subdivided into 100 centavo

Centavo

Centavo is a Spanish and Portuguese word, derived from the Latin centum, meaning "one hundred", and the suffix -avo, meaning "portion" or "fraction"...

s, with the argentino worth 5 pesos. Its symbol was m$n or $m/n. Its ISO 4217

ISO 4217

ISO 4217 is a standard published by the International Standards Organization, which delineates currency designators, country codes , and references to minor units in three tables:* Table A.1 – Current currency & funds code list...

 code was ARM.

History

The peso moneda nacional replaced the Argentine real

Argentine real

The real was the currency of Argentina until 1881. From 1822, it was subdivided into 10 decimos. The sol was also issued during this period and was equal to the real, whilst the peso was worth 8 reales and the escudo was worth 16 reales....

 at a rate of one to eight. It also replaced the peso fuerte at par and the peso moneda corriente

Argentine peso moneda corriente

The peso moneda corriente was a non-convertible Argentine paper currency which circulated between 9 January 1826, and 4 November 1881. Its symbol was $m/c. It was also known as the peso papel ....

 at a rate of 25 pesos monedas corrientes = 1 peso moneda nacional. The peso moneda nacional was itself replaced by the peso ley

Argentine peso ley

The peso ley 18.188, usually known as either peso or, to distinguish it from the earlier peso moneda nacional, informally as peso ley, was the currency of Argentina between January 1, 1970 and May 5, 1983. It was subdivided into 100 centavos. Its symbol was $, sometimes $L. Its name comes from law...

 at a rate of one hundred to one.

The peso was initially pegged to the French franc

French franc

The franc was a currency of France. Along with the Spanish peseta, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra . Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amount of money...

 at a rate of 1 peso = 5 francs. In 1883, when silver coins ceased production, the paper peso was set at a value of 2.2 francs or 638.7 mg gold. After a suspension in the gold standard from 1914, in 1927, a peg to the U.S. dollar was established of 2.36 pesos = 1 dollar. The rate changed to 1.71 pesos = 1 dollar in 1931, then to 3 pesos = 1 dollar in 1933. Between 1934 and 1939, the peso was pegged to the British pound at a rate of 15 pesos = 1 pound. High inflation in the post-war period lead to the introduction of the peso ley

Argentine peso ley

The peso ley 18.188, usually known as either peso or, to distinguish it from the earlier peso moneda nacional, informally as peso ley, was the currency of Argentina between January 1, 1970 and May 5, 1983. It was subdivided into 100 centavos. Its symbol was $, sometimes $L. Its name comes from law...

in 1970 at the rate of 100 pesos monedas nacionales = 1 peso ley.

Coins

In 1881, silver 10, 20 and 50 centavos and 1 peso and gold 1 argentino coins were introduced, followed by bronze 1 and 2 centavos the next year. Silver coins ceased production in 1883, with gold coins ending in 1896. Base metal 5, 10 and 20 centavos were introduced in 1896, with base 50 centavos following in 1941. The 1 peso was reintroduced in 1957, with 5, 10 and 25 pesos introduced in 1961, 1962 and 1964.

Centavo

Value	Obverse	Emission	Withdrawn	Composition	Diameter
1	Liberty	1882 - 1896	21 April 1959	Bronze	25 mm
1	Coat of arms Coat of arms of Argentina The coat of arms of Argentina was established in its current form in 1944, but has its origins in the seal of the General Constituent Assembly of 1813. It is supposed that it was chosen quickly because of the existence of a decree signed on February 22 sealed with the symbol...	1939 - 1944	21 April 1959	Bronze	16 mm
1	Coat of arms	1945 - 1948	21 April 1959	Copper	16 mm
2	Liberty	1882 - 1896	21 April 1959	Bronze	30 mm
2	Coat of arms	1939 - 1947	21 April 1959	Bronze	20 mm
2	Coat of arms	1947 - 1950	21 April 1959	Copper	20 mm
5	Liberty	1896 - 1942	31 January 1965	Copper-Nickel	17 mm
5	Liberty	1942 - 1950	31 January 1965	Aluminium-Bronze	17 mm
5	José de San Martín José de San Martín José Francisco de San Martín, known simply as Don José de San Martín , was an Argentine general and the prime leader of the southern part of South America's successful struggle for independence from Spain.Born in Yapeyú, Corrientes , he left his mother country at the...	1950 - 1953	31 January 1965	Copper-Nickel	17 mm
5	José de San Martín	1953 - 1956	31 January 1965	Copper-Nickel clad steel	17 mm
5	Liberty	1957 - 1959	31 January 1965	Copper-Nickel clad steel	17 mm
10	Liberty	1881 - 1883		.900 Silver	18 mm
10	Liberty	1896 - 1942	21 January 1966	Copper-Nickel	19 mm
10	Liberty	1942 - 1950	21 January 1966	Aluminium-Bronze	19 mm
10	José de San Martín	1950 - 1952	21 January 1966	Copper-Nickel	19 mm
10	José de San Martín	1952 - 1956	21 January 1966	Nickel clad steel	19 mm
10	Liberty	1957 - 1959	21 January 1966	Nickel clad steel	19 mm
20	Liberty	1881 - 1883		.900 Silver	22 mm
20	Liberty	1896 - 1942	31 January 1967	Copper-Nickel	21 mm
20	Liberty	1942 - 1950	31 January 1967	Aluminium-Bronze	21 mm
20	José de San Martín	1950 - 1952	31 January 1967	Copper-Nickel	21 mm
20	José de San Martín	1952 - 1956	31 January 1967	Nickel clad steel	21 mm
20	Liberty	1957 - 1961	31 January 1967	Nickel clad steel	21 mm
50	Liberty	1881 - 1883		.900 Silver	29 mm
50	Liberty	1941	31 January 1969	Nickel	24 mm
50	José de San Martín	1952 - 1956	31 January 1969	Nickel clad steel	23 mm
50	Liberty	1957 - 1961	31 January 1969	Nickel clad steel	23 mm

Peso

Value	Obverse	Emission	Withdrawn	Composition	Diameter
1	Liberty	1881 - 1883		.900 Silver	39 mm
1	Liberty	1957 - 1962	1 October 1974	Nickel clad steel	25 mm
1	Buenos Aires Buenos Aires Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...  Cabildo	1960	1 October 1974	Nickel clad steel	25 mm
5	Liberty	1881 - 1896		.900 Gold	23 mm
5	President Sarmiento frigate ARA Presidente Sarmiento ARA Presidente Sarmiento is a museum ship, originally built as a training ship for the Argentine Navy. She is considered to be the last intact cruising training ship from the 1890s....	1961 - 1968	12 April 1976	Nickel clad steel	21 mm
10	Gaucho riding horse	1962 - 1968	12 July 1976	Nickel clad steel	21 mm
10	House of Tucumán House of Tucumán The House of Tucumán is a historical building and museum located in San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina, where an assembly of delegates from several provinces of the country declared independence from Spain on 9 July 1816.Distinguishable by its Solomonic columns...	1966	12 July 1976	Nickel clad steel	21 mm
25	First national coin	1964 - 1968	12 July 1976	Nickel clad steel	26 mm
25	Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Domingo Faustino Sarmiento was an Argentine activist, intellectual, writer, statesman and the seventh President of Argentina. His writing spanned a wide range of genres and topics, from journalism to autobiography, to political philosophy and history...	1968	12 July 1976	Nickel clad steel	26 mm

Banknotes

The first nationally issued banknotes were introduced by the Banco Nacional in 1884. These were in denominations of 5, 10, 20 and 50 centavos. In 1891 and 1892, the same denominations were produced by the Banco de la Nación Argentina. In 1894, the Banco de la Nación Argentina introduced larger denomination notes for 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 pesos.

Paper money production was taken over by the Caja de Conversion in 1899. That year, 50 centavos, 1 and 100 pesos were introduced, followed in 1900 by notes for 5, 10, 50, 500 and 1000 pesos. These notes were issued until 1935, when the Banco Central began to produce notes.

Issues 1899-1935

Law 3505, of 20 September, 1897, authorized the Caja de Conversión to renovate all paper money in existence at the time. They decided to make new design called "Progress's Effigy" ("Efigie del Progreso").

These bank notes were created originally in a bigger size and printed by the mint (Casa de Moneda), using French-made paper.
Due to their size, and the paper not being of good enough quality, they began to deteriorate. They then decided to suspend the printing and look for another provider. The new notes, of smaller size, started to be issued in 1903, using typography

Typography

Typography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading , adjusting the spaces between groups of letters and adjusting the space between pairs of letters...

 as the printing method.

Value	Issue dates	Image
50 centavos	1899-1900,1918-1926
1 Peso	1900-1903,1906-1935
5 Pesos	1900-1935
10 Pesos	1900-1935
50 Pesos	1900-1935
100 Pesos	1899-1932
500 Pesos	1900-1901,1905,1909-1930,1935
1000 Pesos	1901,1905,1906,1908,1910-1934

The Banco Central issued the following banknotes:

Value	Portrait	Back	Emission start date	Withdrawn	Image
50 centavos	Republic face	National Constitution Argentine Constitution of 1853 The Argentine Constitution of 1853 was the first constitution of Argentina, approved with the support of the governments of the provinces —though without that of the Buenos Aires Province, who remained separated of the Argentine Confederation until 1859, after several modifications to the...	1942	31 December 1960
1	Justice	House of Tucumán House of Tucumán The House of Tucumán is a historical building and museum located in San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina, where an assembly of delegates from several provinces of the country declared independence from Spain on 9 July 1816.Distinguishable by its Solomonic columns...	1935	31 December 1960
5	José de San Martín	May Revolution May Revolution The May Revolution was a week-long series of events that took place from May 18 to 25, 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, a Spanish colony that included roughly the territories of present-day Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay...	1935	31 January 1965
10	José de San Martín	Oath of Independence	17 March 1936	31 January 1965
50	José de San Martín	Passage of the Andes	10 September 1936	30 March 1968
50	José de San Martín	Passage of the Andes	2 January 1943	30 September 1968
100	José de San Martín	Buenos Aires Buenos Aires Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...  foundation	14 August 1936	30 March 1968
100	José de San Martín	Buenos Aires Buenos Aires Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...  foundation	23 December 1943	30 September 1968
500	José de San Martín	Argentine Central Bank Banco Central de la República Argentina -Overview:Established by six Acts of Congress enacted on May 28, 1935, the bank replaced Argentina's Currency board, which had been in operation since 1890...	21 December 1944	30 March 1968
500	José de San Martín	San Martín's house at Grand Bourg	25 November 1964	30 September 1968
1,000	José de San Martín	President Sarmiento Frigate	21 December 1944	1 July 1975
5,000	José de San Martín	National Congress	4 October 1962	1 July 1975
10,000	José de San Martín	San Martín and O'Higgins Bernardo O'Higgins Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme was a Chilean independence leader who, together with José de San Martín, freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. Although he was the second Supreme Director of Chile , he is considered one of Chile's founding fathers, as he was the first holder... meeting	18 December 1961	1 July 1975

External links

• Pesos moneda nacional coin photos