Mexico 1981-Mo onza oro

Goldberg sale 60, lot 2523

photo courtesy Ira & Larry Goldberg

In 1949 the Mexico City mint issued the world's first silver onza to modest success. The krugerrand, a South African one ounce gold coin, was a marketing success in the 1970's and this medallion was introduced in 1981 to compete with it. Unlike the silver onza, which was very popular, this type was less successful, being issued in 1985 and 1988 only before being redesigned in 1991. This specimen was lot 2523 in Goldberg sale 60 (Beverly Hills, September 2010), where it sold for $1,236.25. The catalog description^[1] noted, "Mexico. Onza, 1981. Winged Victory. Brilliant Uncirculated."

Recorded mintage: 596,000.

Specification: 34.55 g, 0.900 fine gold, 1.00 troy oz AGW, reeded edge.

Catalog reference: KM 489.

Source:

• ^[1]Ira and Larry Goldberg, Goldberg sale 60: the pre-Long Beach sale, Beverly Hills, 2010.
• 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.
• Buttrey, T. V., and Clyde Hubbard, A Guide Book of Mexican Coins, 1822 to date, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 1992.
• Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
• 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.

Link to:

• 1949 onza
• 1931 50 pesos
• 1981 20 centavos
• 1981 50 centavos, Cuauhtémoc
• 1981 peso, copper-nickel
• 1981 5 pesos, Quetzalcoatl
• 1981 10 pesos, Hidalgo
• 1981 20 pesos, Maya dancer
• 1981 ¼ gold onza
• 1981 ½ gold onza
• 1983 silver onza
• Coins and currency dated 1981
• return to Mexican coinage of the modern era, since 1905