Mexican 50 Pesos Gold Coin of 1922 Centenario
Centenario
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 volcanoes, 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 ounces) of gold in an alloy of 90% gold and 10% copper, and is 37 mm in diameter. The 1943 mintage is somewhat special because of the double "37.5 Gr Oro Puro" markings, leaving out the "50 pesos" legend, and a somewhat larger diameter: 39mm vs 37mm for the other years in the 50 Peso series
The original Centenario design was used in the later Libertad Series of gold and silver bullion coins.
Mexican 50 Pesos Description
The Mexican 50 Pesos gold coin is 20% larger than the 1-oz American Gold Eagle coin. The obverse bears an image of Winged Victory, with a laurel wreath in her right hand and broken chains in her left. Two famous Mexican volcanoes, Popocatepetl and Iztaccihautl, 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.
However, between 1949 and 1972, nearly four million pieces were struck, most likely dated 1947. These are referred to as restrikes; the earlier 50 Pesos carry small premiums over the restrikes The 1921 and the 1931 coins, on the other hand, can carry large premiums. The reverse depicts the Mexican Coat of Arms, which is an eagle perched on a cactus with a serpent in its beak.
When Americans regained the right to own gold bullion on December 31, 1974, Mexican 50 Peso gold coins quickly became one of the gold bullion industry’s standard bearers, along with the Austrian 100 Corona. Because CMIGS is located in Phoenix, Arizona, we saw a lot of trading in 50 Pesos. Despite being headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, and being close to the Mexican border, nowadays we do not see much trading in 50 Pesos.
The tremendous success of Krugerrands in the early 1970s drove the 50 Pesos and the Austrian 100 Coronas into obscurity, where they have remained. Because they are not well known coins, Mexican 50 Pesos and the Austrian 100 Coronas sell at low premiums compared with Gold Eagles and Krugerrands. During the 2008-2009 World Financial Crisis, new Mexican 50 Peso gold coins were minted and shipped to the United States to help meet the tremendous demand for gold because of the Crisis.