Hello and welcome to my video blog about coins from around the world. Today I'm going to show you a special coin from Argentina that commemorates the bicentennial of the Declaration of independence from Spain in 1816. This coin was issued in 2016 and has a face value of 2 pesos, which is equivalent to about 0.66 Indian rupees.
This coin is bimetallic, which means it has a copper-nickel centre and a copper-aluminum-nickel ring. It has a diameter of 24.5 millimeters, a thickness of 2.2 millimeters, and a weight of 7.2 grams. It has a medal alignment, which means that the obverse and reverse sides are oriented the same way when you flip the coin.
Let's take a look at the obverse side of the coin first. Here you can see a beautiful design that represents the ideals of freedom, unity, and brotherhood that inspired the independence movement. In the centre, you can see a Phrygian cap, which is a symbol of liberty, held by a pike, which is a weapon used for homeland defense. Below the cap, you can see two hands clasping each other, which signify the solidarity and friendship of the provinces that formed the United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata, the precursor of modern Argentina. Above the cap, you can see the national colors of Argentina, light blue and white, in horizontal stripes.
Around the centre, you can see the inscription "REPÚBLICA ARGENTINA" on the upper half of the ring, and "INDEPENDENCIA * 1816 * 2016" on the lower half. These words indicate the name of the country and the year of independence and its bicentennial anniversary.
Now let's flip the coin and look at the reverse side. Here you can see a simple but elegant design that features the face value of 2 pesos and the word "PESOS" written vertically on the left side of the centre. On the right side of the centre, you can see a stylized sun that resembles the one on the epaulet military uniform of General José de San Martín, who was one of the main leaders of the independence war against Spain.
Around the centre, you can see the motto "EN UNIÓN Y LIBERTAD" on the upper half of the ring, and the year of issue "2016" on the lower half. The motto means "in union and freedom" and it was first used on some of the earliest coins minted by the Assembly of Year XIII, which was a revolutionary government that ruled part of Argentina during the war. The edge of the coin has a segmented reeding with eight points.
This coin is a beautiful tribute to Argentina's history and culture, and it celebrates an important milestone in its national identity. I hope you enjoyed learning more about this coin and its meaning. If you liked this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to my channel for more videos about coins from around the world. Thank you for watching and see you next time!
