5 Centésimos Sara Sotillo

Panama's coinage has always operated under an unusual arrangement: the country has no central bank with note-issuing authority and uses the U.S. dollar as its de facto currency, with Panamanian coins circulating purely as fractional change alongside American coin. Sara Sotillo, honored on this piece, was a celebrated Panamanian poet and educator whose work in the early twentieth century made her one of the few women to achieve lasting national recognition in the arts.

The KM#133.1 and 133.2 distinction reflects a documented design or die modification introduced during the long production run — collectors should verify the specific variant when cataloging.