10 Centavos

Paraguay's monetary reconstruction after the War of the Triple Alliance (1864–1870) was slow and chaotic — the country lost an estimated 60–70% of its male population, and a functioning coinage infrastructure was essentially nonexistent for decades afterward. These pieces were struck at the Royal Mint in Birmingham under contract, a common arrangement for cash-strapped South American republics that lacked domestic minting capacity. The copper-nickel alloy itself was a deliberate choice: cheaper to produce than silver, resistant to the tropical humidity that accelerated corrosion of bronze issues in the region.