The 2 Pesos or Dos Pesos gold coin was produced in
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
between 1919 and 2009, with dates including 1919, 1920, 1944, 1945, 1946 and 1947. The Dos Pesos contains 0.0482 (slightly under 1/20)
troy ounce
Troy weight is a system of units of mass that originated in 15th-century England, and is primarily used in the precious metals industry. The troy weight units are the grain, the pennyweight (24 grains), the troy ounce (20 pennyweights), and th ...
s of fine
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
along with copper, and measures 13 mm in diameter.
Design
Obverse
Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ...
side displays the
Coat of arms of Mexico depicting a Mexican golden eagle perched on a prickly pear cactus devouring a snake. The reverse side includes the
denomination surrounded by a garland wreath.
The coin was produced by the
Mexican Mint
La Casa de Moneda de México is the national mint of Mexico and is the oldest mint in the Americas.
History
''La Casa de la Moneda'' was established on 11 May 1535 by the Spanish viceroy Antonio de Mendoza by a decree from the Spanish Crown to ...
, which is the oldest mint in
North America. The Mexico City Mint produced gold
peso
The peso is the monetary unit of several countries in the Americas, and the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries the peso uses the same sign, "$", as many currencies named "dollar" ...
s in denominations ranging from two pesos to
fifty
50 (fifty) is the natural number following 49 and preceding 51.
In mathematics
Fifty is the smallest number that is the sum of two non-zero square numbers in two distinct ways: 50 = 12 + 72 = 52 + 52. It is also the sum of three squares, 50 = 32 ...
. Each denomination shared a common design with the 2 peso gold coin being the smallest denomination gold coin issued for circulation by the United Mexican States.
Production
Production began in 1919 with a mintage of 1,670,000 coins and continued briefly through 1920. Production resumed in 1944 and continued through 1948, although no 1948 dated specimens are known. During 1951-1972 a total of 4,590,493 pieces were restruck, most likely dated 1945. In 1996 matte restrikes were produced, and an additional 260,000 pieces dated 1945 were struck during 2000–2009.
Mexico 2 Pesos KM# 461 1919-1948
NGC World Coin Price Guide
Notes and references
Currencies of Mexico
Gold coins
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