Colombia 20 centavos 1947 B - Francisco de Paula Santander

The coin's story

This 20 centavos coin in 500 thousandths silver belongs to the series struck from 1945 to 1951 by the Republic of Colombia. It bears the bust of Francisco de Paula Santander (1792-1840), a hero of independence nicknamed “the man of laws”. Vice-President of Gran Colombia, he governed in Bolívar's absence, then from 1832 to 1837 became the first President of New Granada, laying the legal foundations of Colombian democracy as well as the first system of public education. The coin was struck at the Bogotá Mint, whose letter B appears below the word CENTAVOS. The 1947 B date has 9,708,000 pieces, most of the dies from 1946 to 1951 show traces of the 1945 date they cover.