Numistify guide

Which Mexican Coins Are Silver? Silver Content by Year

Mexico struck its everyday coins in silver for more than two centuries, and the silver content fell in steps. The date on your coin is usually all you need to know whether it is silver, and how much.

Updated October 2026 · tables generated from Numistify’s coin templates

The short answer

Mexican coins dated 1967 or earlier may be silver; for most denominations, everything after that is base metal. The silver content dropped in stages: .903 for the 8 reales and the early decimal coins, then .800 from 1905, .720 from 1919, .500 from 1947 and .300 from 1950. The last silver peso, struck from 1957 to 1967, is only .100 — 10% silver. Since 1982 Mexico has also struck the Libertad, a .999 silver bullion coin.

Mexican silver coins by year

Not every coin is listed. This table is for reference: it covers the silver coins in Numistify’s catalogue and may not include every coin, date, variety or special issue. If your coin is not here, look it up in a world coin catalogue such as Numista or the Standard Catalog of World Coins, or ask your local coin shop.

Reading the table

Fineness is the share of silver in the coin: .900 means 90% silver. Silver (troy oz) is the pure silver it contains, the figure that sets its metal value — multiply it by the day’s silver price. KM is the coin’s number in the Standard Catalog of World Coins, the quickest way to look it up. Our guide to silver and gold melt value shows the calculation.

Telling them apart

Check the date first. The same denomination changed fineness several times: a peso of 1910 is .903 silver, one of 1925 is .720, one of 1960 is .100, and one of 1970 has none.

The 8 reales. The pillar 8 reales of 1732–1771 is slightly finer (.9167) than the bust and cap-and-rays coins that followed (.903).

Commemoratives. Some later coins are silver even though everyday change was not: the 1960 10 pesos, the 1968 Olympic and 1972 Juárez 25 pesos and the 1977–1979 100 pesos are .720 or .900 silver.

Silver centres. The bimetallic 10, 20 and 50 nuevos pesos of 1992–1995 and the 100 pesos state series from 2003 have a .925 silver centre inside a base-metal ring.

The Libertad and other bullion

Before the Libertad, Mexico struck a .925 one-ounce silver onza (1949–1980). The Libertad followed in 1982 in .999 silver, with fractional sizes from 1991, 2 and 5 ounces from 1996 and a kilo from 2002. Our Libertad mintage guide lists how many were struck each year.

What they are worth

Silver content sets a floor, not the value. A scarce date, a rare mint or a coin in fine condition can be worth far more than its metal, so check before selling any coin for its silver: look it up in a world coin catalogue such as the Standard Catalog of World Coins or the NGC World Coin Price Guide, compare auction records and eBay sold listings for the same coin in the same condition, and ask your local coin shop. Our guide to what your coin is worth walks through each step, and are old foreign coins worth anything? covers sorting a mixed lot.

Questions people ask

Are old Mexican pesos silver?

Many are, but the silver content depends on the date. Pesos were .903 silver until 1914, then .800, .720 (1920–1945), .500 (1947–1949) and .300 (1950), and the last silver peso, struck from 1957 to 1967, is only 10% silver. Pesos after 1967 contain no silver.

What is the last Mexican silver coin for circulation?

The 1 peso of 1957–1967, at .100 fine — 10% silver. Silver later returned only in commemoratives, in the silver centres of some 1990s and later coins, and in bullion such as the Libertad.

How much silver is in a Mexican 8 reales?

About 0.79 troy ounces: 27.07 g at .9167 fine for the pillar type of 1732–1771 (0.7977 oz), then .903 fine from 1772 (0.7859 oz).

Is the Mexican Libertad silver?

Yes. The silver Libertad has been struck since 1982 in .999 fine silver, in sizes from 1/20 ounce to a kilogram.

Related guides

Silver and gold melt value — turning silver weight into a metal value.

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