The house where the Congress of Tucumán declared the independence of the United Provinces of South America from Spain on 9 July 1816 appears on the 5 australes of 1989, an aluminium coin weighing just 1.8 g.

The obverse shows the façade captioned CASA DE TUCUMAN, a subject that points to the birth of the state. The reverse carries a large numeral, the date and the double-barred «A», the austral sign ₳.

The austral was introduced in June 1985 under the Austral Plan of Raúl Alfonsín’s government, worth 1,000 old pesos. It did not last: from 1992 the convertible peso replaced it at 10,000 to 1, and austral coins lost legal tender status on 1 March 1992. Around 46.9 million five-austral coins were struck in 1989.

Condition VF-AU: circulation wear ranging from noticeable to light on the high points, with the façade and lettering clearly legible. The coin fills a short chapter of the country’s monetary history, the austral era.

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