50 Centavos Independence

Honduras issued this coin in the immediate aftermath of a turbulent decade that had seen the country cycle through multiple constitutions and repeated military interventions. The 1879–1880 striking coincided with the presidency of Marco Aurelio Soto, a reformist installed largely at the behest of Guatemalan strongman Justo Rufino Barrios, who retained considerable leverage over Honduran affairs throughout this period. Soto's administration was actively attempting to modernize the national economy and attract foreign investment, particularly from British mining interests in the silver-rich interior.

Mintage figures for this type are not well documented, and surviving examples in any grade above Fine are genuinely scarce.