Cêntimo: coin from People's Republic of Mozambique

CÊNTIMO: COIN OF MOZAMBIQUE

10 cêntimos, 1975: People's Republic of Mozambique

10 cêntimos, 1975: People's Republic of Mozambique

Non-circulating coin (but not commemorative).

10 cêntimos.

Sugarcane sprigs (alongside sorghum, cotton, peanuts, cassava, maize and tea, sugar cane is one of Mozambique's main agricultural crops).

REPUBLICA POPULAR DE MOÇAMBIQUE: People's Republic of Mozambique.

Samora Moisés Machel — Mozambican military commander and political leader; the first President of Mozambique (1975-1986).

Royal Mint (United Kingdom).

Mintage: 18.000.000.

Coins of this series were never put into circulation. In 1975, alongside with the declaration of the independence of Mozambique metica (not metical) and its exchange coin cêntimo were proposed and produced; but before implementation of the modern metical (100 centavo), in circulation remained colonial escudos.

  • Brass: 26 mm - 7.3 g
  • Reference price: 22$

COIN CÊNTIMO — WHERE & WHEN (coins catalog: by names & emitents)
  1. PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF MOZAMBIQUE (1975): cêntimo = 1/100 metica
  2. REPUBLIC OF ANGOLA (1999-…): cêntimo = 1/100 kwanza
  3. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF SÃO TOMÉ AND PRÍNCIPE (1977-...): cêntimo = 1/100 dobra

About the name of the coin cêntimo: first of all, I would like to note that from a formal point of view I consider three related coin names separately — cêntimo (Portuguese-speaking countries), céntimo (Spanish-speaking countries) and séntimo (in modern Philippines).
As for the origin of each of the listed names (as well as many related ones — for example: cent, centavo, centesimo, centésimo, centime, centas...), they all come from the Latin term "centesimus", which translates as "hundredth", "one hundredth of something". All these small coins are 1/100th part of their respective currencies.