1⁄16 Peso

Costa Rica's fractional silver coinage of this period was struck under considerable institutional instability — the country cycled through multiple monetary reorganizations in the 1850s as it attempted to build a functioning national currency system following independence from the Central American Federation. The 1/16 peso denomination was a practical response to the chronic shortage of small change that plagued the region, where Spanish colonial fractions had long since disappeared from active circulation.

The .903 fineness matches the old Spanish colonial standard, a deliberate choice meant to maintain public confidence during a period when counterfeiting of minor silver was rampant in Central America.