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.
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.