Costa Rica 1979 10 centimos

from the Mountain Groan Collection

This specimen exemplifies the dreadful state of modern coin design. The drab, low relief design, accentuated by the dull material, failed to inspire any but the most devoted collectors of Central American coins. It is a product of the Sherrit Mint, Toronto, Canada. Later series of the 1990's dropped the ten centimos and added the fifty and hundred colones as inflation eroded the power of the currency. This sub-type was struck 1980 only and replaced a copper-nickel predecessor.

Recorded mintage: 10,000,000.

Specification: 2 g, nickel clad steel, 16 mm diameter.

Catalog reference: KM 185.2b.

Source:

• Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
• Gurdian, Raul, Contribucion al Estudio de las Monedas de Costa Rica: 100 Años de Colon, 2a Ed., San José, Costa Rica, 1997.
• Stickney, Brian, A Monetary History of Central America, New York: American Numismatic Society, 2017.

Links to:

• 1972 10 centimos
• 1978 25 centimos
• 1979 5 centimos
• 1980 25 centimos
• 1982 10 centimos
• Coins and currency dated 1979
• return to Costa Rica