Time Period: 1817-1959

Currency: 1st Chilean Peso


Timeline

  • 09.06.1817
  • Government resolution on the issuance of Chilean coins in the Spanish-colonial standard; effective immediately.
    - xx.xx.1818 (date unknown): Government resolution on the adjustment of the gold-to-silver ratio to 8 Escudos (AU) = 17¼ Pesos (AG) (was 16 Pesos).
  • 23.08.1832
  • Law on the prices paid by the government mint for gold an silver bullion (with a gold-to-silver ratio of 16); not implemented
  • 29.03.1833
  • Start of issuance of emergency money by counter-stamping of silver coins from Potosí mint (Argentina)
  • 24.10.1834
  • Law on the Chilean currency in the bimetallic standard with specie coins in the octal and copper subsidiary coins in the decimal system; effective immediately
    - 18.10.1843: Law on a (minimal) reduction of the weight of the silver coinage; effective immediately
  • 09.01.1851
  • Law on the decimal currency the bimetallic standard (with metric weights); effective immediately
  • 23.07.1860
  • Law on the issuance privilege for paper money by commercial banks; effective immediately
    - Paper money issuance began around 1870.
  • 28.07.1860
  • Law on the switch to the gold standard; effective immediately
  • 1878-1895
  • Monetary crisis and inconvertibility of the paper money:
    - 06.09.1878: Law on the suspension of convertibility; effective immediately.
    - 10.04.1879: Law on the issuance of state paper money; effective immediately
    - 14.03.1887: Law on the reduction of the amount of circulating paper money (preparation for the restoration of convertibility); effective immediately
    - 26.11.1892: Law on the restoration of convertibility (at a rate of 10 Chilean Pesos = 1 British Pound); effective 01.12.1895 (not implemented)
    - 31.03.1893: Law on the restoration of convertibility (at a rate of 10 Chilean Pesos = 1 British Pound); effective 01.06.1896 (not implemented)
    - 11.02.1895: Law [No. 277] on the restoration of convertibility (at a rate of 13⅓ Chilean Pesos = 1 British Pound); effective 01.06.1895
  • 28.05.1895
  • Law [No. 280] on the withdrawal of the private paper money and exchange against gold by the government; effective 01.06.1895 (conversion was concluded on 01.05.1897).
  • 1898-1925
  • Monetary crisis and inconvertibility of the paper money:
    - 31.07.1898: Law [No. 1054] on the suspension of convertibility (until 01.01.1902); effective immediately
    - Periodically extended between 1902 and 1925.
    - 16.10.1925: Law [No. 528] on the restoration of convertibility (at a rate of 40 Chilean Pesos = 1 British Pound); effective 01.06.1895
  • 21.08.1925
  • Law [No. 486] on the establishment of the Central Bank of Chile; effective upon constitution of the bank on 11.01.1926
    - 02.08.1935: Ordinance [No. 2266] on amending the 2025 central bank law; effective 04.09.1935.
  • 16.10.1925
  • Law [No. 528] on the restoration of the gold standard; effective immediately

Valuation Regimes

  • 1817-1878
  • Metallic currency based on circulating gold and silver coins. Base weight was the Castilian mark / 8 ounces / 8 octaves / 72 grains at 230.047 grams (1817-1851) and the kilogram (1851-1878).
  • 1878-1895
  • Variable rate of the paper currency against the specie coins
  • 1895-1898
  • Fixed rate against gold and British Pound
  • 1898-1925
  • Variable rate
  • 1925-1932
  • Fixed rate against gold and British Pound
  • 1932-1934
  • Variable rate, inflationary
  • 1935-1956
  • Fixed rate against US Dollar, 1937-1946 with multi-tier rate structure (levels: governmental, preferred, non-essential, free)
  • 1956-1959
  • Variable rate, multi-tier rate structure (levels: banking, brokers')
  • 1959
  • Fixed rate against US Dollar, unification of rate structure

Rate Arrangements

  • 24.10.1834
  • Metallic
  • Peso: 1'480.08mg AU fine & 24'433.04mg AG fine
  • 8½ Doubloons of 16 Pesos to the Castilian mark of 21-carats gold and 8½ Pesos to the Castilian mark of 10⅚-deniers silver => AU : AG = 16.508
  • 18.10.1843
  • Metallic
  • Peso: 1'480.08mg AU fine & 24'431.35mg AG fine
  • 8½ Doubloons of 16 Pesos to the Castilian mark of 21-carats gold and Peso of 542.08 Castilian grains of 10⅚-deniers silver => AU : AG = 16.507
  • 09.01.1851
  • Metallic
  • Peso: 1'372.77mg AU fine & 22'500.00mg AG fine
  • Condor of 10 Pesos at 15.253 grams of 0.900 gold and Peso at 25 grams of 0.900 silver => AU : AG = 16.390
  • 28.07.1860
  • Metallic
  • Peso: 1'372.50mg AU fine
  • Condor of 10 Pesos at 15.25 grams of 0.900 gold
  • 23.07.1878
  • Variable
  • initially: British Pound at 1 : 5.34
  • ±0.0%
  • 01.06.1895
  • Fixed
  • British Pound at 1 : 13⅓ - [Gold parity] 549.18mg AU fine
  • -
  • 31.07.1898
  • Variable
  • initially: British Pound at 1 : 13.33
  • ±0.0%
  • 16.09.1925
  • Fixed
  • British Pound at 1 : 40 - [Gold parity] 183.06mg AU fine
  • -
  • 20.04.1932
  • Variable
  • initially: US Dollar at 1 : 16.50
  • -50.2%
  • 01.01.1935
  • Fixed
  • US Dollar at 1 : 19.37 (official rate)
  • -
  • 18.12.1946
  • Fixed
  • US Dollar at 1 : 31 - [Gold parity] 28.67mg AU fine (official rate)
  • -37.5%
  • 02.10.1953
  • Fixed
  • US Dollar at 1 : 110 - [Gold parity] 8.08mg AU fine (official rate)
  • -71.8%
  • 16.04.1956
  • Variable
  • initially: US Dollar at 1 : 490 (banking rate)
  • -77.6%
  • 20.01.1959
  • Fixed
  • US Dollar at 1 : 1050
  • -


Time Period: 1960-1975

Currency: Chilean Escudo


Timeline

  • 06.04.1959
  • Law [No. 13305, title VI] on the currency reform; effective 01.01.1960
    - 31.12.1973: Law [No. 231, §20] on the abolition of the sub-unit "Centavo"; effective 01.01.1974
  • 01.01.1960
  • Start of currency exchange:
    - 01.01.1960: Start of issuance of the new banknotes and coins
    - 30.03.1960: Demonetization of the former currency.

Valuation Regimes

  • 1960-1962
  • Fixed rate against US Dollar
  • 1962-1973
  • Variable rate, highly inflationary

Rate Arrangements

  • 01.01.1960
  • Fixed
  • US Dollar at 1 : 1.05
  • ±0.0%
  • 15.10.1962
  • Variable
  • initially: US Dollar at 1 : 1.395
  • -24.7%


Time Period: 1975-

Currency: 2nd Chilean Peso


Timeline

  • 04.08.1975
  • Law [No. 1123] on the currency reform; effective 29.09.1975
  • 29.09.1975
  • Start of currency exchange:
    - 29.09.1975: Start of issuance of the new banknotes and coins
    - 31.12.1975: Demonetization of the former currency.

Valuation Regimes

  • 1975-
  • Variable rate (1979-1982 fixed rate against US Dollar)

Rate Arrangements

  • 29.09.1975
  • Variable
  • initially: US Dollar at 1 : 6.40
  • ±0.0%
  • 03.07.1979
  • Fixed
  • US Dollar at 1 : 30
  • 03.07.1979
  • Variable
  • initially: US Dollar at 1 : 46
  • -15.2%


End-year Forex Rates (Units per US Dollar)