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40 Centavos Fuertes Pattern
| Issuer | Argentina |
|---|---|
| Year | 1879 |
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| Engraver(s) | Henri Charles Würden |
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| Obverse description | Left-facing draped bust of Liberty, her hair flowing in loose waves and bound by a diadem inscribed LIBERTAD, with a Phrygian cap atop the head. The effigy is rendered in high relief with fine engraving, occupying the central field. The circular legend REPUBLICA ARGENTINA runs along the left and right periphery, while ESSAI, the date 1879, and the engraver's initials CH.W. appear in the lower field. The coin is bordered by a continuous beaded rim. |
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| Reverse description | The Argentine Coat of Arms occupies the central field, featuring a quartered oval shield surmounted by a radiant rising sun and topped by a Phrygian cap on a staff, with clasped hands in the lower portion of the shield. The shield is flanked by two national flags on either side, crossed behind it, with stars and decorative elements completing the composition. The circular legend LEY DEL 25 DE SETIEMBRE 1878 runs along the upper periphery, and the denomination 40 CENTAVOS FUERTES is inscribed along the lower periphery, all separated by star stops. The design is bordered by a continuous beaded rim. |
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| Additional information |
Argentina's monetary system in the 1870s was a tangle of provincial emissions, foreign coins, and paper that traded at steep discounts. The 1879 pattern series — of which this 40 centavos fuertes piece is part — was an attempt to establish a coherent national coinage before the economic collapse that would follow in 1890. The patterns were never adopted; political instability and the prohibitive cost of maintaining a silver standard against accelerating inflation killed the program before it reached circulation.
KM#E4 is among the rarer entries in the Argentine pattern sequence. Surviving examples are nearly always in preserved state, having never reached the public.