Nicaragua's wartime shift to brass for its smallest denomination was a direct consequence of the same global copper shortage that forced mint substitutions across Latin America in the early 1940s. The United States was consuming copper at an extraordinary rate for shell casings and electrical wiring, pressuring allied and neighboring nations to reformulate their coinage alloys. The 1944 issue marks the transition year for this type.
Nicaragua's wartime shift to brass for its smallest denomination was a direct consequence of the same global copper shortage that forced mint substitutions across Latin America in the early 1940s. The United States was consuming copper at an extraordinary rate for shell casings and electrical wiring, pressuring allied and neighboring nations to reformulate their coinage alloys. The 1944 issue marks the transition year for this type.