Silver Quarter Ounce Libertad, Coin Type from Mexico - detailed information

Silver Quarter Ounce Libertad, Coin Type from Mexico (issued 1991 - )
Coin TypeSilver Quarter 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 small quarter 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 silver quarter ounce (1/4 onza in Spanish) was added to the Libertad range in 1991. 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.

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).

Obverse
Mexico / Silver Quarter 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.

The border is toothed, with staggered sizes of the teeth.

Obverse Inscription ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Reverse
Mexico / Silver Quarter 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 1/4 ONZA PLATA PURA [year] LEY .999 (one quarter of a 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 1/4 ONZA PLATA PURA [year] LEY .999
EdgeMilledEdge InscriptionNone
Coin Type: Silver Quarter Ounce Libertad - (34) Coins
Coin NameMintageSymbolLegend
Silver Quarter Ounce 1991 Libertad 46,017 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 1992 Libertad 109,000 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 1993 Libertad 95,502 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 1994 Libertad 95,102 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 1995 Libertad 52,000 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 1996 Libertad 51,000 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 1997 Libertad 20,800 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 1998 Libertad 6,700 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 1999 Libertad 7,600 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 2000 Libertad 21,700 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 2001 Libertad 26,000 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 2002 Libertad 37,800 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 2003 Libertad 25,900 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 2004 Libertad 17,500 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 2005 Libertad 17,400 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 2006 Libertad 17,900 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 2007 Libertad 6,500 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 2008 Libertad 11,900 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 2009 Libertad 13,000 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 2010 Libertad 20,500 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 2011 Libertad 20,000 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 2012 Libertad 16,700 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 2013 Libertad 12,800 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 2014 Libertad 8,650 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 2015 Libertad 20,300 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 2016 Libertad 27,250 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 2017 Libertad 12,950 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 2018 Libertad 23,000 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 2019 Libertad 8,300 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 2020 Libertad 7,150 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 2021 Libertad 4,750 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 2022 Libertad 5,550 Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 2023 Libertad unknown Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
Silver Quarter Ounce 2024 Libertad unknown Coat of Arms of Mexico ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS
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Silver Quarter Ounce Libertad: Details
CountryMexico
CurrencyMexican Peso (New)
Sub-type ofSilver Quarter Ounce (1/4 oz)
From1991
Face Value(varies) (x Peso)
CurrentYes
Material0.999 Silver
Designer
TechnologyMilled (machine-made)
ShapeRound
OrientationCoin Alignment (Axis 6)
Size27.0000 mm
Thickness1.7000 mm
Mass7.7758 g