The Republic of Colombia is a South American country spanning North America with its mainland surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, the Pacific, and Panama. The nation is divided into 32 departments with over 60 recognized languages other than Creole and Spanish.
The Colombian peso is the country’s currency which was introduced in 1837, replacing the Spanish colonial real. The currency is divided into one hundred centavos.
Between 1837 and 1839, reale coins in denominations of 1/4 reales or the “cuartillo”, ½, 1, 2, and 8 reals were introduced alongside gold peso coins in denominations of 1, 2, and 16 pesos.
Another set of copper and silver reales coins were introduced in 1847, when Colombian peso was decimalized. In 1853, silver and gold coins were introduced.
In 1858, the Granadine Confederation consisting of Colombia, Panama, and parts of Brazil, was established. The confederation issued various silver and gold coins between 1859 and 1862. In 1863, the short-lived republic was replaced by the United States of Colombia which began minting silver and gold coins in 1862.
In 1886, the country’s name was changed back to the Republic of Colombia, and issued 5-centavo cupro-nickel coins.
Between 1952 and 1958, silver coins in the denominations of 10, 20 and 50 centavos were replaced by cupro-nickel coins. In 1967, coins made of copper-clad steel, nickel-clad steel, and copper-nickel were added into circulation.
In 1984, production of coins below 1 peso ceased. In the subsequent years, higher denominations were introduced due to inflation. In 2009, the minting of low-value coins ceased, and by 2012, the Bank of the Republic issued a new series including 500 and 100 peso bi-metallic coins. This series is adorned with Colombian fauna including a spectacled bear, a frailejon, a scarlet macaw, a glass frog, and a loggerhead sea turtle.
