10 GUATEMALA SILVER 5 CENTAVO COINS 1950, 51, 52, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 60, 61

Description

10 GUATEMALA SILVER 5 CENTAVO COINS 1950, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961 KM-261
The Guatemalan 5 centavo coin of this mint series is small (16 mm in diameter & 1 mm thick) but struck of 0.720 fine silver. The obverse features a ceiba tree with the words “LIBRE, CREZCA, FECUNDO” (“FREE, GROWING, FERTILE”), an historic symbol that goes back to the early 19
th
century when it was a symbol of the Federation of Central America, a nation that struggled to exist for more than a decade, but tore itself apart into five separate states, of which Guatemala has traditionally been the most wealthy and politically powerful.
The reverse design features the
escudo nacional
(national coat of arms) of Guatemala which consists of a quetzal bird (“bird of liberty”) perched on a scroll featuring the date Central America declared its independence from Spain (15 Sept. 1821), and two muskets with bayonets within a wreath.
Below the
escudo
is the mint date, and the silver content, .720.
The rims are denticulated and the edges milled.
I do not know all of the years that these five centavo pieces were minted, but I know it isn’t all that easy to find 10 different dates.
The melt value of these coins is about apiece, so nearly a third the starting price is right there in silver.  Winning bidder will receive exactly the same 10 coins pictured here.