50 Pesos Centenario Gold Coin – The Centenario Family

The Mexican 50 pesos, also known as the Centenario, was first issued in 1921 to commemorate the centennial of Mexico’s independence from Spain. The Centenario is known worldwide as a gold bullion coin from Mexico.

The Centenario was minted annually from 1921 to 1931 and again from 1943 to 1947. The 1925 vintage is also interesting. Demand for the gold coin was so great that the Mint in Mexico City continued to issue gold 50 peso coins with the 1947 date until 1972 and into the late 1990s and early 2000s. In addition, commemorative coins without the 50 peso denominations were issued in 1943 and on various dates in the 1950s and 1960s.

The date on the right indicates the year of mintage, with the 1921 and 1931 mintages (the last year of the original series) being particularly valuable and highly sought after by collectors. Due to the demand for gold coins, production resumed in 1943, and coins minted between 1949 and 1972 are usually marked “1947”.

 

Year          – Mintage of the 50 pesos

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*  7,954,777

2000-2009*       302,000

 

* With date from 1947

 

This coin was designed by Emilio del Moral.

On the reverse is the coat of arms of Mexico, showing the golden eagle on a cactus with a snake (rattlesnake) in its beak.

Mint of the Mexican Centenario

The Mexican Mint Casa de Moneda was responsible for minting all the gold coins of the Centenario family and minted the bullion coins in the period from 1905 to 1959.

Why Centenario coins are so expensive

Centenario 50 Peso gold coins contain 20% more gold than other common 1 Oz gold coins. This means that Centenario 50 pesos has an amazing fine weight of 37.5 grams. The ordinary gold coins like the American Eagle, the Maple Leaf or the Krugerrand contain “only” 31.1 grams. The reddish hue of the gold coin comes, as with the Krugerrand gold coin, from the proportionate copper content in the alloy. It is 10% for the 50 pesos centenario.

There are other pesos gold coins in the Centenario family:

Azteca 20 pesos

This 20 pesos was first minted in 1917, in accordance with the features of the 1905 monetary reform. The eagle depicted on this coin has been in the national coinage since 1825. On the back is the Aztec calendar stone. When Hernán Cortés conquered Mexico in 1521, the Aztec calendar is said to have been located in the city’s “Templo Mayor”. When the Spaniards destroyed the temple, it was demolished and buried. In 1790 it was rediscovered. It contains 0.48227 ounces of pure gold.

Hidalgo

This coin, minted as part of the monetary reform of 1905, is the first Republican coin with the image of a national hero: Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, who started the War of Independence on September 16, 1810. The obverse shows the eagle typical of the national coat of arms of the time, while the reverse shows the profile of Hidalgo. This coin has a content of 0.24113 ounces of pure gold.

Gold coins of 5, 2.5 and 2 pesos containing 0.12057 ounces, 0.06028 ounces and 0.04823 ounces of pure gold, respectively, are also minted.

Hidalgo (10 golden pesos)

1/2 Hidalgo (5 pesos gold)

1/4 Hidalgo (2.5 pesos gold)

1/5 Hidalgo (2.5 pesos gold)

The 2 peso gold piece was introduced in 1919. The motif consists of the national coat of arms with the eagle typical of the time and on the reverse the value surrounded by a wreath. It has a grade of 0.04823 ounces of pure gold.

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