The crown of Puerto Rico’s only own coinage: the 1895 one-peso of the boy king Alfonso XIII — 8.5 million struck at Madrid in .900 silver, and heavily melted after the 1900 conversion.
History
- Puerto Rico’s only regular-issue own coinage: five denominations struck 1895–1896 under Spain — 1 peso (1895), 20 centavos (1895), and 5, 10, 40 centavos (1896).
- Struck at the Casa de Moneda de Madrid, Spain, and shipped to the island.
- Obverse: the young King Alfonso XIII (age 9), designed and engraved by Bartolomé Maura y Montaner (B.M. initials on the coin).
- Reverse legend reads "ISLA DE PUERTO RICO" with "1 PESO = 5 P.TAS" (1 peso = 5 Spanish pesetas); assay marks P.G.–V.
- Attrition was severe: the U.S. government melted redeemed coins — per an April 27, 1900 letter from the Mint Director, "such coins of Porto Rico as are redeemed by the Government will all be melted" — so surviving examples, especially in high grade, command strong premiums.
Key dates & varieties
- One-year type: 1895 only; mintage 8,500,000.
- Fineness note: some tables list the fractionals at .835, but Heritage Auctions’ ASW data and numismatic references support .900 for the series.
Specifications
- Weight: 25.00 g; fineness .900 silver; diameter 37 mm.
Collector notes
- Genuine pieces weigh 25 g — weight is the first screen on a series where high-grade survivors are valuable enough to fake.