5 Centavos Estado de Durango

Durango was one of several Mexican states that issued emergency coinage during the Revolution when the federal monetary system had effectively collapsed. The state government authorized local issues to fill an acute shortage of small change — federal coin had been hoarded, melted, or simply stopped circulating. These brass pieces were struck hastily under wartime conditions, with die quality and planchet preparation varying considerably across the run.

KM#631a distinguishes the brass composition from related copper issues of the same type, a distinction that matters more than it might appear: brass and copper strikings were not always intentional variants, but sometimes reflect whatever metal Durango's authorities could procure in 1914.