1 Peso Aconcagua

This coin belongs to Argentina's "Patrimonial" peso series, launched in 1994 as the country rebuilt its monetary framework following the catastrophic hyperinflation of the late 1980s — a period when annual inflation briefly exceeded 3,000%. Aconcagua, at 6,961 metres the highest peak in both the Western and Southern hemispheres, anchors the provincial identity of Mendoza and had been a focus of Argentine national pride since the first documented summit by Matthias Zurbriggen in 1897.

The bimetallic format was adopted partly as an anti-counterfeiting measure after years of monetary chaos had made Argentines acutely sensitive to currency fraud.