1957 Mexican 10-peso Constitution commem

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A 1957 Mexican 10-peso Constitution commemorative struck in .900 silver, 40mm in diameter and weighing 28.88g. Larger and with more silver than the American silver dollars of 1878-1935 that still circulated in the U.S., this big Mexican commemorative—the precious metal equivalent of the regular issue 10-pesos of those days—had a currency exchange value of US$0.80.

This 1957 10-peso is the high-value in a three-member commemorative series that included a pair of additional silver coins—also of the size, weight and fineness of their regular issue counterparts—a 5-peso (.720) and a 1-peso (.100). All three coins were of substantially the same design, with all featuring a portrait of Benito Juárez.

Juárez had recently made an appearance on Mexico’s revived 10-centavo piece of 1955 (the centennial of his return from exile), and was the natural choice for a coin commemorating the centennial of Mexico’s 1857 Constitution.

Benito Juárez (Benito Mussolini was indeed one of his namesakes) was both instrumental in making the 1857 Constitution work, and was the successful defender of the document—and the republic it created—from the likes of French Emperor Napoleon III and his protégé, the would-be Emperor of Mexico, Maximilian.

It seems difficult to credit, given the way the head of Juárez dominates this 1957 10-peso, but this man, who stood so tall among his contemporaries, in reality stood just 4-foot-6 (1.37m).

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