Peru KM#360 1 Nuevo Sol 2011 UNC—Machu Picchu—Commemorative

A pristine Uncirculated example of one of Peru's most beloved commemorative coins — struck in 2011 to honor Machu Picchu, the 15th-century Inca citadel that sits 2,430 meters above the Sacred Valley and draws millions of visitors a year. Part of the Wealth and Pride of Peru series issued by the Banco Central de Reserva del Perú, this coin was designed and engraved by Felipe Escalante Chuñocca.

Obverse

• Colors: silver-gray nickel, polished fields
• Design: Arms of Peru — shield with vicuña, cinchona tree, and cornucopia, flanked by laurel-and-palm wreath with civic crown above
• Lettering: BANCO CENTRAL DE RESERVA DEL PERU / 2011
• Engraver: Felipe Escalante Chuñocca

Reverse

• Colors: silver-gray nickel
• Design: The ruins of Machu Picchu, with terraced stonework and mountain backdrop
• Lettering: 1 NUEVO SOL / MACHU PICCHU / SIGLO XV d.c.
• Engraver: Felipe Escalante Chuñocca

Other Characteristics

• Catalog numbers: KM# 360; Numista N#24699
• Series: Wealth and Pride of Peru
• Type: Circulating commemorative
• Composition: Nickel silver (Alpaca alloy)
• Weight: 7.32 g
• Diameter: 26.50 mm
• Thickness: 1.9 mm
• Shape: Round
• Edge: Reeded
• Orientation: Coin alignment ↑↓
• Mint: Lima, Peru (1565–date)
• Year: 2011
• Maximum mintage: 10,000,000
• Currency: Nuevo sol (1991–2015) / Sol (2016–date)
• Issuer: Banco Central de Reserva del Perú
• Designer: Felipe Escalante Chuñocca

The City That Wasn’t Lost — Just Hidden

In 1911, American explorer Hiram Bingham III was led up a steep jungle ridge by a local farmer named Melchor Arteaga and found something that would change the world’s understanding of the Inca: a vast stone city, largely intact, draped in cloud forest, perched between two mountain peaks at 2,430 meters above sea level. He called it a “lost city.” The Quechua people of the valley below had never lost it at all.

Machu Picchu was built in the mid-15th century — Siglo XV d.c., as this coin's reverse inscription reads — almost certainly during the reign of the Inca emperor Pachacútec, the ruler who transformed the Inca from a regional power into a continental empire. The card accompanying this coin quotes Peruvian archaeologist Federico Kauffmann Doig, who suggests the site served as an administrative center, a ceremonial hub, and a place of worship for the Apu (sacred mountains) and Pachamama (Earth Goddess) — built with such precision to honor the God of Water and ward off the agricultural devastation of El Niño.

The stonework is staggering. The Inca cut and fitted granite blocks without mortar, so precisely that a knife blade cannot pass between them — and the city has survived centuries of earthquakes that have leveled Spanish colonial buildings in the valley below. At its peak, Machu Picchu housed perhaps 750 people, mostly priests, attendants, and chosen women. It was abandoned within a century of its construction, likely after the Spanish conquest — and the jungle quietly swallowed it.

Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, drawing over a million visitors a year. Peru strictly limits daily access to protect the site. The coin in your hand was struck the same year those visitor limits became a serious international conversation.

Own this coin and you hold a small silver record of that moment — when Peru declared, in metal, that Machu Picchu belongs to the world.

A Note on Coin Grading

We grade coins by condition — how much wear a coin shows from use. Below is the scale we use, from unworn to well-circulated.

Condition Grades

• Uncirculated (BU) — Bank-fresh: Full mint detail, no wear. May show light nicks or bag marks from contact with other coins. Never circulated.
• About Uncirculated (AU) — A whisper of wear: Still shiny with nearly full luster; only the very highest points show the faintest rub. Looks new at a glance.
• Extremely Fine (XF) — Lightly circulated: Sharp detail throughout, light wear on the high points, with traces of original shine in protected areas.
• Very Fine (VF) — Honestly circulated: Moderate, even wear. Every detail still fully visible, but the high points are smoothed and the original luster is gone.
• Fine & below — Well-worn: Clearly circulated with major detail visible but softened. Honest, everyday-grade coins.

A Note on Shine

Separately from wear, we may note a coin as Bright or Toned. Many circulated coins — including ones pulled straight from pocket change — are still bright and eye-catching, while others have naturally dulled or darkened, particularly the brass or "gold" portion of bimetallic coins. This is independent of grade: a lightly circulated coin can be bright, and an unworn coin can be toned.

Please note: Grades are assigned by visual inspection and reflect our best honest assessment. Individual coins are representative of their grade tier and may vary slightly. Natural toning and minor contact marks develop over a coin's lifetime, are normal, and are not considered defects.