Catalog
20 Centavos 0.5 on obverse, silver .500
| Issuer | Casa de Moneda de Chile |
|---|---|
| Year | 1899-1907 |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | A defiant condor displayed in left profile, wings spread and talons gripping a rocky outcrop, rendered in high relief in the style of engraver Louis-Oscar Roty. The circular legend REPUBLICA DE CHILE runs along the upper periphery within a beaded border. The fineness mark '0.5.' appears in the lower field beneath the rock, referencing the coin's 0.500 silver content. The artist's signature 'O. Roty' is incused below the design element. |
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| Reverse description | The denomination VEINTE CENTAVOS is inscribed in three lines across the central field, with the date below. The mintmark 'So' (Santiago) appears at the top of the field above the legend. The entire central inscription is encircled by a wreath of two laurel branches tied at the base, beneath which a miner's hammer and sickle are displayed. The design is contained within a beaded border. |
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| Additional information |
Chile's monetary reform of 1895 devalued the peso and introduced a bimetallic standard that proved almost immediately unstable — by the time this series was well into production, the country had effectively abandoned convertibility. The .500 fineness was a deliberate reduction from earlier issues, reflecting the government's struggle to keep silver coinage in circulation rather than melted for bullion as metal prices fluctuated on the London market.
The KM#151.2 designation distinguishes this from the .900 fine predecessor, a detail that matters for anyone attributing worn examples where the fineness punch can be difficult to read.