Obverse: identify the front

The obverse shows Mexican national arms with the .720 fineness numerals above the eagle, split around the upper part of the design. Heritage’s description of a dated 1919 KM 447 specimen records the .720 marker. Compare the complete obverse, fifty-centavo denomination, actual date and nominal 8.3333 g mass; the eagle alone is not proof of silver content.

Reverse: identify the back

The reference describes the value and date within a three-quarter wreath, with a Liberty cap above. The legend INDEPENDENCIA Y LIBERTAD is recorded for the edge, which requires a separate view.

History and purpose

The 1919 date overlaps the 9.0625 g, .800 KM 446 standard. KM 447 instead uses 8.3333 g and .720 silver. The 1935 .420 KM 448 issue is another distinct standard; it is absent from the matching .720 annual rows. A 1919 photo without weight or type attribution cannot safely serve both standards.

How to identify this variant

Match the complete 50 centavos denomination and included issue years. The designated standard is 8.3333 g gross mass, 0.72 silver fineness and 27 mm diameter. Keep unrelated alloys, gold coins, regional issues, patterns and replicas separate. Wear can reduce mass; appearance, a magnet or a household scale cannot alone determine precise alloy or authenticate the coin.

Understanding its metal content

Three matching coins contribute 24.9999 nominal gross grams and 0.5787 reference fine silver troy ounces. The calculator uses 0.1929 oz per coin rather than treating total alloy mass as pure silver. Dollar melt pricing requires an approved current market quote; absent pricing is not shown as zero. Collector demand and condition remain separate from metal content.

Dates, varieties and composition changes

Actual annual issue years are 1919, 1920, 1921, 1925, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1942, 1943, 1944 and 1945. The dated reference rows include 1938, although Banco de México’s gallery heading omits that year. The 1935 .420 issue belongs to a different metal standard. No unlisted years are added from the broad series span.

Melt value versus collector value

An attributed overdate, die variety, date, finish, condition or provenance may influence collector interest independently of silver content. The metal calculation cannot determine grade, rarity or collector value. Avoid polishing or cleaning; preserve original surfaces, any established provenance and reputable certification. A worn piece and an uncirculated example of the same nominal standard can have different collector values.

Authenticity and condition

The Banco de México reference photographs illustrate the national-arms and Liberty-cap fifty-centavo design. Their small source resolution does not unambiguously establish an individual engraved year or assay another coin. Read the visitor’s actual date, denomination, fineness marking, both designs, mass, diameter and edge. The .720 fineness inscription distinguishes the documented marked type from the independently documented 1919 .800 unmarked design; uncertain or worn details require individual attribution.

Selling this coin

Sort 50 centavos coins by complete date, design and nominal metal standard before entering quantities. Send clear photographs of both sides, plus edge photographs and measured weight where available, when requesting a CashForCoins appraisal. Preserve possible overdates and unusual die details for individual review. An offer can depend on authenticity, condition and collector demand alongside metal content. The reference melt calculation is an educational estimate.

Sources and calculation methodology

The reference’s designated World Silver melt reference supplies 8.3333 g gross mass, 0.72 fineness and 0.1929 fine silver troy ounce. Matching dated KM 447 records supply actual dates, 27 mm diameter, identity, designs and mint notes. Thickness and identities of remaining alloy metals have not been independently verified. Actual annual years come from dated catalog rows rather than filling every year in a broad series heading. Overdates are counted under the visible issue year. The fine-silver reference applies to a correctly attributed coin; it does not establish authenticity, grade or collector value.

Photographs are attributed to their independently documented source. Small Banco de México images are reproduced at their original resolution under the institution’s published use permission, with attribution and source URL. A representative photograph does not authenticate or assay another specimen.

Common questions

References

• NGC designated World Silver Coin Melt Values — designated weight; fineness; reference silver ounces; broader group heading (checked 2026-10-12)
• NGC matching dated Mexican type KM 447 — dated identity; weight; fineness; diameter; dates from actual annual rows; design; mint and variety notes; source precision differences where recorded (checked 2026-10-12)
• Banco de México official coin photograph gallery — photograph source and published attribution; independent photo permission documented separately from currency-design copyright (checked 2026-10-12)
• Banco de México published reuse policy — institutional public use/reproduction permission requiring clear Banco source and URL; broad permission is not a CC license (checked 2026-10-12)
• Heritage: 1919 KM447 design marker — primary original 1919 lot explicitly describes .720 above eagle; matching 8.3333 g/27 mm/.1929 ASW; no photograph republication (checked 2026-10-12)

Issue-year references

• NGC designated World Silver Coin Melt Values
• NGC matching dated Mexican type KM 447
• Banco de México official coin photograph gallery
• Banco de México published reuse policy
• Heritage: 1919 KM447 design marker

Content maintained by CashForCoins. Last substantive record update: 2026-10-12. Report a specification or attribution issue through our contact page.

Related coins

Mexican Reduced-Size .800 Silver Fifty Centavos

Photo credits and rights on the linked coin profile.

Mexico • 80% silver reference; remaining alloy metals not independently established

Issue years: 1918–1919

Fine silver: 0.233100 troy oz

Add to collection

Mexican .300 Silver Fifty Centavos

Photo credits and rights on the linked coin profile.

Mexico • 30% silver; remaining alloy metals not independently verified

Issue years: 1950–1951

Fine silver: 0.064200 troy oz

Add to collection