Numistify guide

Which Chilean Coins Are Silver? Silver Content by Year

Chile changed the silver content of its coins more often than almost any country, and many of its coins say how much silver they contain right on the face. Here is every silver coin by date, with its fineness and silver content.

Updated October 2026 · tables generated from Numistify’s coin templates

The short answer

Chile’s silver coins run from 1817 to 1932. The first national peso (1817–1834) is .902; the coins of the 1850s and 1860s are .900; and from 1867 the fineness changed again and again — .835, .500, .700, .720 and billon at .200–.450. The last silver coin for circulation was the 1932 1 peso (.400 billon); the 1 peso was cupronickel from 1933. Chile’s later silver coins (1968 onward) are non-circulating commemoratives.

Chilean silver coins by year

Not every coin is listed. This table is for reference: it covers the silver coins in Numistify’s catalogue and may not include every coin, date, variety or special issue. If your coin is not here, look it up in a world coin catalogue such as Numista or the Standard Catalog of World Coins, or ask your local coin shop.

Reading the table

Fineness is the share of silver in the coin: .900 means 90% silver. Silver (troy oz) is the pure silver it contains, the figure that sets its metal value — multiply it by the day’s silver price. KM is the coin’s number in the Standard Catalog of World Coins, the quickest way to look it up. Our guide to silver and gold melt value shows the calculation.

Telling them apart

Read the obverse. Many Chilean coins of 1899–1919 carry their fineness: “0.5”, “0.7”, “0.72”, “0.45” or “0.9” means .500, .700, .720, .450 or .900 silver.

Billon without a mark. Some billon coins of 1907–1920, such as the 20 centavos and 5 centavos, are .400 silver but carry no fineness mark.

Same coin, different fineness. The 1 peso, 20 centavos and décimo were all struck at several finenesses; check the date and the KM number.

Commemoratives. The 1968 and 1976 coins are .999 silver; the 1991 10,000 pesos is .925; the 1993 2000 pesos is .500.

What they are worth

Silver content sets a floor, not the value. A scarce date, a rare mint or a coin in fine condition can be worth far more than its metal, so check before selling any coin for its silver: look it up in a world coin catalogue such as the Standard Catalog of World Coins or the NGC World Coin Price Guide, compare auction records and eBay sold listings for the same coin in the same condition, and ask your local coin shop. Our guide to what your coin is worth walks through each step, and are old foreign coins worth anything? covers sorting a mixed lot.

Questions people ask

Are old Chilean pesos silver?

Pesos dated up to 1932 are silver or billon, with finenesses from .900 down to .400. From 1933 the 1 peso was cupronickel. Many coins of 1899–1919 show their fineness on the obverse.

What does 0.5 on a Chilean coin mean?

It is the fineness: 0.5 means the coin is .500 — half silver. Chilean coins of this period are also marked 0.7, 0.72, 0.45 and 0.9.

What is the last Chilean silver coin for circulation?

The 1932 1 peso, in .400 billon. The 1 peso was cupronickel from 1933.

Are Chilean commemorative coins silver?

The 1968 and 1976 commemoratives are .999 silver, the 1991 10,000 pesos is .925 and the 1993 2000 pesos is .500. They were not issued for circulation.

Related guides

Silver and gold melt value — turning silver weight into a metal value.

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