50 Centavos Pattern, Cuauhtémoc, Smaller Diameter, Copper-nickel

Mexico's 1955 coinage reform trials generated a series of pattern pieces as the mint worked through competing specifications for a debased smaller-denomination series. This piece represents one of the diameter reduction proposals — the existing 50 centavos had been struck in silver as recently as 1951, and the transition to base metal required extensive testing of planchet specifications before any design was committed to production.

The Cuauhtémoc type in copper-nickel at reduced diameter was ultimately not adopted in this form. Surviving pattern pieces from this trial are institutionally documented but rarely surface commercially.