Oaxaca 20 Centavos

In 1915, Oaxaca's 20 centavos coins were struck as an emergency issue during the Mexican Revolution, often using recycled silver from older Mexican or Spanish coins to keep the economy afloat in a war-torn region.

That makeshift approach meant the coins varied in quality, with some showing rough edges or impure metal from whatever scrap was at hand. Planchets might have come from melted reales or even jewelry, reflecting the chaos of the time.

We don't know the exact mintage; records from that era were probably destroyed in the fighting or lost to neglect. What we do have are survivors, battered but real, offering a glimpse into provisional minting.

As for myths, I've heard tales of these coins funding secret operations. Rubbish. They were just currency for buying beans and bullets.

Still, handling one brings a certain satisfaction, like finding an old tool that still works.