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5 Centavos
| Issuer | Nicaragua |
|---|---|
| Year | 1898 |
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| Composition | Copper-nickel (75% Copper, 25% Nickel) |
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| Obverse description | Central device depicts the national arms of Nicaragua: an equilateral triangle enclosing five volcanic peaks rising from the sea beneath a radiant sun, representing the five Central American states. The triangle is flanked below by a decorative scroll ornament. The circular legend ESTADO DE NICARAGUA runs along the upper periphery, with the coin's milled border enclosing the entire design. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | ESTADO DE NICARAGUA (Translation: State of Nicaragua) |
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| Additional information |
Nicaragua's 1898 coinage was struck during a period of chronic monetary instability, when the country was cycling through foreign-minted issues because it lacked domestic minting infrastructure. This piece was produced abroad — almost certainly at a European or American facility under contract — a common arrangement for Central American republics of the period that could not sustain their own mint operations.
The shift to copper-nickel for small denominations reflected a broader regional trend away from silver in fractional coinage, driven by silver's price volatility in the 1890s following widespread demonetization globally.