Catalog
1 Balboa
| Issuer | Republic of Panama |
|---|---|
| Year | 1966-1975 |
| Type | Non-circulating coin |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | REPVBLICA - DE - PANAMA PRO MVNDI BENEFICIO LEY GR. 0.900 26.73 1974 (Translation: Republic of Panama For the Benefit of the World 0.900 Purity 26.73 Grams) |
| Reverse description | A left-facing armored bust of Vasco Núñez de Balboa, the Spanish conquistador and first European to see the Pacific Ocean from the Americas, occupies the central field. He is depicted wearing an ornately engraved morion helmet and a ruff collar with period-appropriate armor visible at the shoulder. Two sprigs of laurel flank the bust at the lower left and lower right. The denomination legend VN BALBOA arcs boldly along the upper periphery of the coin in raised relief. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Panama's balboa has always been pegged at par to the U.S. dollar, and the country has never issued paper currency of its own — American Federal Reserve notes circulate freely alongside Panamanian coinage. The silver one balboa was effectively Panama's largest denomination coin in everyday use, filling a role that most nations assign to banknotes. Production of the .900 silver type ended after 1975 as rising silver prices made the metal content approach and then threaten to exceed face value.