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50 Centimos Transitional Coinage
| Issuer | Casa Nacional de Moneda, Lima |
|---|---|
| Year | 1858 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A full-length standing figure of Liberty dominates the central field, draped in flowing robes and a veil, holding a tall spear upright in her right hand and resting her left hand upon a shield inscribed LIBERTAD. The figure stands on a low pedestal, conveying a classical allegorical style. The circular legend FIRME Y FELIZ POR LA UNION arcs around the upper periphery, while the denomination 50 CENTIMOS is inscribed along the lower arc. A beaded border encircles the entire design. |
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| Mintage | 1858 MB - - 1858 MB - Proof - |
| Additional information |
Peru's monetary system was in open conflict with itself in 1858. The country was mid-transition from the old Spanish colonial real system to a decimal structure, and this 50 centimos piece belongs to that awkward interregnum — technically decimal in denomination but produced at weights and fineness calibrated to ease acceptance alongside the reales still circulating in commerce. The Lima mint had been operating under chronic supply pressures, and silver from the Cerro de Pasco mines was increasingly being siphoned toward export rather than coinage.
KM#178 is short-lived by design. Full decimalization rendered transitional types obsolete within a few years.