5 Centesimos Pattern, Uniface Obverse, Piefort

Piefort patterns from Panama's 1982 series were produced by the Franklin Mint under contract, a relationship Panama had maintained since the early 1970s for its collector and commemorative issues. The piefort format — double the normal planchet thickness — was applied here to a uniface obverse strike, meaning no reverse die was used, leaving the second face plain or incuse depending on the press setup.

The .400 fine gold composition is atypical for a piefort of this period, when most gold patterns used either standard fineness or fine gold. This alloy suggests a cost-controlled test piece rather than a prestige issue.