Silver Ounce Libertad, Coin Type from Mexico - detailed information

Silver Ounce Libertad, Coin Type from Mexico (issued 1982 - )
Coin TypeSilver Ounce Libertad

La Casa de Moneda de México (the Mexican Mint) was established in 1535 and is the oldest mint in the Americas. Apart from manufacturing all the circulation coinage for Mexico, the mint also strikes coins in the internationally popular one ounce of silver format. The best known of these is the Libertad series of bullion coins, which has been issued in a number of sizes in gold since 1981 and in silver since 1982.

The Libertad silver ounce (onza in Spanish) was the first formats in silver; fractions and larger sizes were added later. The obverse of the coin depicts the Coat of Arms of Mexico: a Mexican golden eagle perched on a prickly pear cactus, devouring a rattlesnake. The reverse design is based on the 1921 gold Centenario, a coin issued to mark the centennial of Mexican independence (Libertad means Liberty in Spanish); it depicts the winged Nike (Victory, or Victoria in Spanish) - the statue which tops The Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City (built in 1910); in the background the volcanoes Popocatépetl and Iztaccihuatl are seen.

The design was changed from the "Type 1" Libertad (called just "Libertad" by the Bank of Mexico) to "Type 2" Libertad ("New Libertad") in 1996; the difference is the reverse, in which Victoria is seen on the later coins from an angle and not from the front as before. The obverse was changed in 2000, with the Coat of Arms being surrounded by smaller images of its earlier versions as it evolved through Mexican history.

Libertad coins do not have a fixed face value; they are accepted as currency and guaranteed by Banco de México based on the market value of their precious metal content (similarly to the South African Krugerrand).

The Libertad silver ounce range replaced an earlier type of non-legal tender silver ounces issued since 1949.

Obverse
Mexico / Silver Ounce Libertad - obverse photo

The obverse of the coin shows at its centre the Coat of Arms of Mexico, which depicts a Mexican (golden) eagle perched on a prickly pear cactus, facing left, devouring a rattlesnake. The cactus is on a pedestal immersed in the Aztec symbol for water. Below, a wreath of oak and laurel leaves tied at its centre with a ribbon representing the flag of Mexico.

The design is rooted in the legend that the Aztec people would know where to build their city once they saw an eagle eating a snake on top of a lake. To the people of Tenochtitlan (the pre-European capital), this symbol had strong religious connotations, and to the Europeans it came to symbolise the triumph of good over evil (with the snake sometimes representative of the serpent in the Garden of Eden).

Around above, the legend ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS, meaning United Mexican States in Spanish - which is the full official name of Mexico.

Within a plain border, surrounding the Coat of Arms and the inscription is a wide rim in which there are ten more depictions of the Coat of Arms of Mexico, illustrating the different styles it had throughout its history (the oldest depicted on top is the prototype of the symbol as seen in the 1541 Codex Mendoza, then in chronological order clockwise).
Obverse Inscription ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Reverse
Mexico / Silver Ounce Libertad - reverse photo

The reverse of the coin shows at its centre the statue of Nike (the Greek goddess of Victory, in Spanish: Victoria) from the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City - commonly known simply as The Angel. She is represented as a young bare-breasted winged woman holding a laurel wreath in her outstretched right hand, and a broken chain (a symbol of freedom) in her left hand. Visible below the figure is the pedestal which tops the monument.

The volcanoes Popocatépetl and Iztaccihuatl can be seen in the background.

Around above, interrupted by the wings of the angel, the inscription 1 ONZA PLATA PURA [year] LEY .999 (one troy ounce of pure silver with purity 99.9%).

The Mo mint mark of the Mexican Mint (large letter M above which a small o) is in the upper right field.

The border is plain.
Reverse Inscription 1 ONZA PLATA PURA [year] LEY .999
EdgeMilledEdge InscriptionNone
Coin Type: Silver Ounce Libertad - (43) Coins
Coin NameMintageSymbolLegend
Silver Ounce 1982 Libertad 1,049,680 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 1983 Libertad 1,002,766 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 1984 Libertad 1,014,000 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 1985 Libertad 2,017,000 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 1986 Libertad 1,729,432 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 1987 Libertad 512,000 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 1988 Libertad 1,510,500 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 1989 Libertad 1,406,500 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 1990 Libertad 1,210,002 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 1991 Libertad 1,660,518 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 1992 Libertad 2,468,000 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 1993 Libertad 1,005,002 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 1994 Libertad 405,002 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 1995 Libertad 502,000 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 1996 Libertad 302,000 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 1997 Libertad 101,500 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 1998 Libertad 67,500 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 1999 Libertad 95,600 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 2000 Libertad 341,600 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 2001 Libertad 727,000 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 2002 Libertad 853,800 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 2003 Libertad 810,400 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 2004 Libertad 453,000 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 2005 Libertad 701,581 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 2006 Libertad 304,000 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 2007 Libertad 205,800 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 2008 Libertad 961,000 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 2009 Libertad 1,660,000 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 2010 Libertad 1,010,000 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 2011 Libertad 1,210,000 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 2012 Libertad 750,600 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 2013 Libertad 792,300 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 2014 Libertad 433,900 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 2015 Libertad 909,400 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 2016 Libertad 1,452,450 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 2017 Libertad 645,700 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 2018 Libertad 351,500 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 2019 Libertad 409,500 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 2020 Libertad 306,850 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 2021 Libertad 617,550 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 2022 Libertad 554,400 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 2023 Libertad 631,350 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Ounce 2024 Libertad unknown Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
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Silver Ounce Libertad: Details
CountryMexico
CurrencyMexican Peso (New)
Sub-type ofSilver Ounce (1 oz)
From1982
Face Value(varies) (x Peso)
CurrentYes
Material0.999 Silver
Designer
TechnologyMilled (machine-made)
ShapeRound
OrientationCoin Alignment (Axis 6)
Size40.0000 mm
Thickness3.0000 mm
Mass31.1000 g
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