50 Mexican pesos
In 1910, Mexico celebrated the centennial of the beginning of the War with Spain that would lead, years later, to its independence from the metropolis. To commemorate this important event, a large column was erected in the center of Mexico City topped with a statue of the Angel of Independence seated at the top. This statue, which is 6.7 meters high and made of bronze and gold, represents the “winged victory”, which is one of the manifestations of the Greek goddess Nike (Daughter of Zeus and Themis). In her right hand, the angel holds a crown representing victory, while in her left hand it holds a broken chain, symbol of freedom and the break with slavery and subjugation. The project was in charge of the architect Antonio Rivas Mercado, the engineer Roberto Gayol and the Italian sculptor Enrique Alciati.
The statue is located in the Glorieta del Paseo de la Reforma, inaugurated in 1910 by the president of the republic D. Porfirio Diaz. This monument to Mexico’s independence was not only used on the 50 peso gold coin, but was also used for the obverse of the Libertad Ounce, which we will talk about in another article.
The first minting of this coin took place in 1921, to commemorate the centennial of Mexico’s independence from Spanish rule. The War of Independence began on September 16, 1810 and ended on September 27, 1921 with the entry into Mexico City of the Trigarante Army, led by Agustin de Iturbide, thus putting an end to the Mexican colonial period.
The obverse of the 50 Pesos coin features a striking portrait of the winged Victory standing on a background of the Mexican volcanoes Iztaccahuatl and Popocateptl. Also engraved on the obverse is the face value of the coin (50 Pesos), the gold content in grams, and the dates of issue of the coin, to the right of the Victory and that of Mexico’s Independence, 1821, to the left, as we see the coin. On the edge, the words Independence and Liberty are engraved.
As a distinguishing feature, the coins issued in 1943 have only one variation of this design: The gold content (37.5 grams of pure gold) is engraved on both sides of the Victory.
The reverse of the coin features an engraving of the Mexican eagle hunting the snake and is surrounded, in the upper semicircle, by the words “Estados Unidos Mexicanos” (United Mexican States).
Interestingly, the 50 pesos, 10 pesos, and 5 pesos gold coins have the eagle facing forward, which is an antiquated version of the 19th century Mexican coat of arms, made in the French style.
These 50 Mexican Pesos gold coins are known as Centenarios. Their first year of issue was 1921, as previously mentioned, to celebrate the first centennial of Mexico’s independence in 1821. From 1949 until 1972, almost four million coins have been reissued, most probably with the date 1947.
The characteristics of these pieces are a Weight of 41.66 grams of gold, with a grade of 900 thousandths (37.5 grams of fine gold), equivalent to 1.2057 Troy Ounces. The face value is 50 pesos, and the issuing entity is Casa de la Moneda de México (Mexico Mint), which has a diameter of 37 mm and a thickness of 2.7 mm. The coin was designed and engraved by the artist Emilio del Moral.
The 50 Pesos coins in figures
The 1943 coins, about 89,000, have a slightly larger diameter (39 mm), but maintain the same weight and grade as the previous coins of other dates. This coin, denominated 50 Centenario Pesos , is currently enjoying great success and acceptance among investors and collectors, both in Spain and in Latin America, being on a par with other investment coins and ounces such as the Krugerrand, Eagle, Maple, Panda and others.
Unlike these other current gold investment coins, which are minted annually, the minting of these 50 Pesos coins has ended. This makes them more interesting since, in addition to their weight in noble metal, they have an added value in terms of design quality, relative scarcity and rarity due to the scarce mintage of some years and, inevitably, collector’s value.
Obverse of the 1943 Centennial coin. These coins have a larger diameter and omit the face value of the piece (50 Pesos), replacing it with the content in weight of fine metal (37.5 grs).
José Vte. Alcocer (March 2017)
José Vicente Alcocer Ferrer is a leading numismatist known for his contributions to coin collecting. He has written several articles on numismatics, including topics such as coins from the Russian and Japanese occupations in Korea, and the 50 Mexican pesos. His works have been published in specialized magazines.
