Mexico 1992 1/2 onza oro

Aureo y Calicó sale 422, lot 3409

This specimen was lot 3409 in Aureo y Calicó sale 422 (Barcelona, December 2023), where it sold for 815 € (about US$1,055 including buyer's fees). The catalog description^[1] noted, "México. 1992. 1/2 onza. AU. S/C- [about uncirculated]." In 1949 the Mexico City mint issued the world's first onza to modest success. It tried again in 1980 with a resurrection of the 1949 design. In 1982 the medallion (technically, Libertads are not coins) was redesigned to use the obverse from the 1921 two pesos. The weight was reduced and the fineness increased from .925 to .999 silver. The medallion was an immediate hit. It was the only silver bullion coin on the market for several years and, backed by the Mexican government, outcompeted private mint issues. It inspired imitations such as the U. S. silver eagle (from 1986) and the Canadian Maple Leaf (from 1988) which have cut into its market share to the point where several of the later dates are downright rare. In 1990, the design was revised to change the lettered edge to reeded. In 1991, the lettering was revised, which is most obvious on the denomination. On the first type, the denomination is lettered "onza"; on the second, shown here, the denomination is lettered "OnZa". All the 1992 Libertads have the revised lettering. This size was struck in gold starting in 1981.

Recorded mintage: 25,220.

Specifications: 15.55 g, 0.999 fine gold, 0.500 troy oz AGW, this specimen 15,55 g.

Catalog reference: Fr-179, KM 591.

Sources:

• Amaya Guerra, Carlos Abel, Epitome Ilustrado de la Moneda Mexican Moderna, 1905 a 2015, Monterrey, Mexico, 2015.
• Bailey, Don and Lois, Whitman Encyclopedia of Mexican Money, Volume 1, An Illustrated History of Mexican Coins and Currency, Atlanta: Whitman Publishing, 2014.
• Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
• Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
• ^[1]Sisó, Teresa, Eduard Domingo and Lluís Lalana, Subasta 422: Subasta Numismatica, Barcelona: Aureo y Calicó, 2023.

Link to:

• 1992 new peso, bimetallic
• 1992 5 new pesos, bimetallic
• 1992 10 new pesos, bimetallic
• 1992 250 pesos, Jaguar sculpture
• 1992 500 pesos, Jaguar sculpture
• 1992 1000 pesos, Jaguar sculpture
• 1992 10,000 pesos, Piedra de Tizoc, 5 oz silver
• 1992 1/20 onza oro
• 1992 1/10 onza oro
• 1992 ¼ onza oro
• 1992 Libertad
• 1992 onza oro
• Coins and currency dated 1992
• return to Mexican coinage of the modern era, since 1905