Whatever Happened To McDonald s Fiesta Coins? Jeremy Moeller/Getty Images
By Felix Behr/Jan. 26, 2021 8:26 am EDT
To help promote the Mesquite BBQ, Green Chili Salsa with Jalapeno Peppers, and Mild Salsa with Chunks of Tomato and Onion that would go with their chicken McNuggets as well as a Fiesta Colada Shake, McDonald s tied to tempt customers with Latin American coins (which cost almost nothing) to accompany the Mexican-themed flavors in 1988. Writing for the Professional Coin Grading Services website, Jay Turner re-examined these quite forgotten Fiesta Coins.
McDonald s gave out 30 million Fiesta Coins, which represented the currencies of Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Peru, and Venezuela. None of these nations, Turner notes, were actually represented by the dipping sauces, as salsa has Mexican roots, and Mexican food was enjoying a popularity boom in the 80s. The ultimate fate of the Fiesta Coins, however, seems to have been a near-complete di