Catalog
| Issuer | Panama |
|---|---|
| Year | 1904 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 10 Centesimos (10 centésimos) (0.10 PAB) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The Panamanian coat of arms occupies the central field, depicting a shield quartered with symbols of the nation's sovereignty and resources, surmounted by an arc of seven six-pointed stars representing the provinces of Panama. The denomination DIEZ CENTESIMOS DE BALBOA is inscribed along the upper legend, while the national motto PRO MUNDI BENEFICIO (For the Benefit of the World) and the technical specifications G.5. LEY 0.900 indicating the coin's weight of five grams and silver fineness of 0.900 appear in the lower field and legend. The design is enclosed within a beaded border. |
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| Additional information |
Panama's first national coinage was struck in 1904, the same year the country signed the Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty ceding control of the Canal Zone to the United States. The new republic contracted the Philadelphia Mint to produce the entire inaugural series, a practical arrangement given Panama had no mint of its own and the U.S. had just engineered its independence from Colombia the previous November.
The Balboa was pegged at exact parity with the U.S. dollar from the outset, a monetary arrangement that has never been formally dissolved.