5 Centavos

El Salvador's shift to nickel brass for this denomination came during a period when wartime metal restrictions had disrupted coinage across Latin America. Pure nickel and silver were being redirected toward Allied war production, forcing numerous Central American mints to reformulate alloy compositions mid-series. The KM#134a variant reflects that material compromise — the earlier 134 type had used a different alloy before the change was locked in for the postwar run through 1953.