There is no numeral on this coin: instead of the usual «$20» the value is spelled out as «VEINTE PESOS». Among Mexican commemorative 20 pesos this is a very rare exception — and a good reason to look closely at the coin struck for the bicentenary of the death of José María Morelos.

The reverse shows Morelos in left profile, encircled by «BICENTENARIO LUCTUOSO DEL GENERALÍSIMO JOSÉ MARÍA MORELOS Y PAVÓN» and flanked by the years «1815» and «2015». A country priest, Morelos took command of the independence struggle after Miguel Hidalgo was executed in 1811. In 1813 he presented the Congress of Chilpancingo with the «Sentiments of the Nation», a programme for an independent Mexico that called for the abolition of slavery and of caste distinctions. Captured in the autumn of 1815 and condemned by both the Inquisition and the viceregal authorities, he was shot at San Cristóbal Ecatepec on 22 December 1815.

The Bank of Mexico released the coin on 22 December 2015, exactly two hundred years after the execution. It is a bimetallic piece in the large 32 mm format: copper-nickel centre, aluminium-bronze ring and an edge of alternating reeded and plain sections, with the national arms on the obverse.

In a collection it fits several lines at once: Mexican commemorative 20 pesos; heroes of the War of Independence, next to the 2021 20 pesos where Morelos appears with Hidalgo and Vicente Guerrero; and a set of famous personalities. The unusual way the value is written makes it stand out even within a dense series.

Grade UNC: the coin never circulated, shows no wear and keeps its mint lustre, with only minor bag marks permitted. A finely modelled profile without rubbing is exactly why a commemorative coin is best collected uncirculated.

Coins from the VPcoins catalogue are collected by seasoned numismatists and newcomers alike.