50th Anniversary of the Creation of UNICEF

The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was established in 1946 during the first General Assembly of the United Nations. It was first created as a program intended to provide humanitarian assistance to children in countries that had been devastated by World War II.

In order to commemorate fifty years of its creation, the BCRA issued $1 (one PESO) and $0.50 (fifty cents) coins for circulation, both with similar characteristics to current coins.

Both coins are packed in a cardboard case containing a short institutional summary and their specifications. A series of 5,000 cases was manufactured (numbered from 1 to 5,000) to deliver both coins.

50 cents

Obverse design

The center shows a picture of a girl playing with a rag doll. The upper arch reads “REPÚBLICA ARGENTINA” (ARGENTINE REPUBLIC), and the lower arch, “EN UNIÓN Y LIBERTAD” (IN UNION AND LIBERTY).

Reverse design

The upper center shows the UNICEF logo and to both sides the years “1946” and “1996.” Below the logo, number “50” with the word “CENTAVOS” (cents in Spanish) below it. The upper arch reads “UNICEF CINCUENTA AÑOS CON LOS NIÑOS” (UNICEF FIFTY YEARS WITH CHILDREN) and the exergue, “1996.” On both sides, alternatively arranged, there are five faces of boys and girls representing different peoples and races, each one of them being a symbol of a five-year period of UNICEF service. The coin has a vertical die axis (medal alignment).

1 peso

Obverse design

The center shows a picture of a girl playing with a rag doll. The upper arch reads “REPÚBLICA ARGENTINA” (ARGENTINE REPUBLIC), and the lower arch, “EN UNIÓN Y LIBERTAD” (IN UNION AND LIBERTY).

Reverse design

The upper center reads the years “1946-1996;” to the left, number “1;” to the right, the UNICEF logo, and below the logo and making up a right angle with number 1, the word “PESO.” The upper arch reads “UNICEF CINCUENTA AÑOS CON LOS NIÑOS” (UNICEF FIFTY YEARS WITH CHILDREN) and the exergue, “1996.” On both sides, alternatively arranged, there are five faces of boys and girls representing different peoples and races, each one of them being a symbol of a five-year period of UNICEF service. The coin has a vertical die axis (medal alignment).