20 Centavos

The Western Department (Departamento del Occidente) operated as a semi-autonomous issuing authority in El Salvador during the 1870s, a period when the central government lacked the infrastructure to supply adequate small change to the country's western provinces. These copper pieces filled a genuine transactional void in local commerce, functioning essentially as emergency provincial currency rather than nationally sanctioned coinage.

The CJ#5.2 designation suggests a recognized die variant within the series — collectors working this material closely distinguish between at least two documented die states.