Centenario
Encyclopedia
The Centenario is a Mexican
gold
bullion coin
first minted in 1921 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Mexico's independence from Spain
. The coin is not intended to be used as currency
; the face value of 50 pesos
is for legal purposes only, and does not reflect the actual value of the gold content.
The obverse
of the Centenario contains the image of Winged Victory (El Ángel
, 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
es, Popocatepetl
and Iztaccíhuatl
, 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".
The reverse depicts the coat of arms of Mexico
, which is a golden eagle
perched on a cactus with a serpent
in its beak.
The Centenario contains 37.59 grams (1.20565 troy ounce
s) of gold in an alloy of 90% gold and 10% copper (21.6 karat), and is 37 mm in diameter.
The original Centenario design was used in the later Libertad Series
of gold and silver
bullion coins.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
bullion coin
Bullion coin
A bullion coin is a coin struck from precious metal and kept as a store of value or an investment, rather than used in day-to-day commerce. Investment coins are generally coins that have been minted after 1800, have a purity of not less than 900 thousandths and are or have been a legal tender in...
first minted in 1921 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Mexico's independence from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. The coin is not intended to be used as currency
Currency
In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
; the face value of 50 pesos
Mexican peso
The peso is the currency of Mexico. Modern peso and dollar currencies have a common origin in the 15th–19th century Spanish dollar, most continuing to use its sign, "$". The Mexican peso is the 12th most traded currency in the world, the third most traded in the Americas, and by far the most...
is for legal purposes only, and does not reflect the actual value of the gold content.
The obverse
Obverse and reverse
Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to 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 means the front face of the object and reverse...
of the Centenario contains the image of Winged Victory (El Ángel
El Ángel
El Ángel de la Independencia , most commonly known by theshortened name El Ángel and officially known as Columna de la Independencia, is a victory column located on a roundabout over Paseo de la Reforma in downtown Mexico City.El Ángel was built to commemorate the centennial of the beginning of...
, 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
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
es, Popocatepetl
Popocatépetl
Popocatépetl also known as "Popochowa" by the local population is an active volcano and, at , the second highest peak in Mexico after the Pico de Orizaba...
and Iztaccíhuatl
Iztaccíhuatl
Iztaccíhuatl , is the third highest mountain in Mexico, after the Pico de Orizaba, , and Popocatépetl, . Its name is Nahuatl for "White woman"....
, 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".
The reverse depicts the coat of arms of Mexico
Coat of arms of Mexico
The current coat of arms of Mexico has been an important symbol of Mexican politics and culture for centuries. The coat of arms depicts a Mexican Golden Eagle perched upon a prickly pear cactus devouring a snake. To the people of Tenochtitlan this would have strong religious connotations, but to...
, which is a golden eagle
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
perched on a cactus with a serpent
Serpent (symbolism)
Serpent in Latin means: Rory Collins :&, in turn, from the Biblical Hebrew word of: "saraf" with root letters of: which refers to something burning-as, the pain of poisonous snake's bite was likened to internal burning.This word is commonly used in a specifically mythic or religious context,...
in its beak.
The Centenario contains 37.59 grams (1.20565 troy ounce
Troy ounce
The troy ounce is a unit of imperial measure. In the present day it is most commonly used to gauge the weight of precious metals. One troy ounce is nowadays defined as exactly 0.0311034768 kg = 31.1034768 g. There are approximately 32.1507466 troy oz in 1 kg...
s) of gold in an alloy of 90% gold and 10% copper (21.6 karat), and is 37 mm in diameter.
The original Centenario design was used in the later Libertad Series
Libertad (coin)
Libertad coins are gold and silver Mexican bullion coins. They are sold in 1/20, 1/10, 1/4, 1/2, and 1 troy ounce weights for both gold and silver coins; and 2, 5 ozt and 1 kilogram weights for silver coins.-Design:...
of gold and silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
bullion coins.
Centenario Minting History.
| Year | Quantity minted |
|---|---|
| 1921 | 180,000 |
| 1922 | 463,000 |
| 1923 | 432,000 |
| 1924 | 439,000 |
| 1925 | 716,000 |
| 1926 | 600,000 |
| 1927 | 606,000 |
| 1928 | 538,000 |
| 1929 | 458,000 |
| 1930 | 372,000 |
| 1931 | 137,000 |
| 1943 | 89,000 |
| 1944 | 593,000 |
| 1945 | 1'012,000 |
| 1946 | 1'588,000 |
| 1947 | 309,000 |
| 1949-1972* | 3'975,654 |
| 1996* | ? |
| 2000-2009* | 302,000 |
- *With date of 1947