Mexico 1988 50 pesos
By the early 1980's, the Mexican economy was running into trouble. Political mismanagement, corruption, an antiquated tax structure and an exploding population were feeding serious inflation. Coin types, once stable in the early part of the century, began turning over more rapidly as inflation ate away their purchasing power. While this gave employment to coin designers and engravers, it limited their scope of action as progressively cheaper alloys were adopted. The fifty pesos, a large gold coin in the thirties and forties, was revived in 1982 as a 35 mm diameter copper-nickel coin, then reduced to 23.5 mm in 1984 and a portrait of Benito Juarez adopted. In 1988, when this specimen was issued, the alloy was converted to stainless steel and issued in that form until 1992, the year of the reform. Benito also appears on the ten centavos of 1955-67 (KM 433), a one, five and ten pesos of 1957 (KM 458, KM 470, KM 475), and a twenty-five pesos of 1972 (KM 480). The circulation coinage of the 1980's is also notable for being the first coinage to feature the denomination in Braille, altho the effect is only symbolic as the dots are too small to be useful.
Recorded mintage: 353,300,000.
Specification: stainless steel, 23.5 mm diameter, plain edge.
Catalog reference: KM 495a.
- 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.
Link to:
- 1987 50 pesos, Benito Juarez
- 1988 5 pesos, brass
- 1988 10 pesos, Miguel Hidalgo
- 1988 20 pesos, Guadalupe Victoria
- 1988 50 pesos, ½ oz silver, 50th anniversary of the nationalization of the oil industry
- 1988 100 pesos, Carranza
- 1988 100 pesos, 1 oz silver, 50th anniversary of the nationalization of the oil industry
- 1988 500 pesos, Madero
- 1988 500 pesos, bimetallic pattern
- 1988 500 pesos, ½ oz gold, 50th anniversary of the nationalization of the oil industry
- 1988 1,000 pesos, Sor Juana de Asbaje
- 1988 1,000 pesos, 1 oz gold, 50th anniversary of the nationalization of oil industry
- 1988 5000 pesos, copper-nickel, 50th anniversary of the nationalization of oil industry
- 1988 Libertad
- 1990 50 pesos, Benito Juarez
- Coins and currency dated 1988
- return to Mexican coinage of the modern era, since 1905