1980 Mexico 10 Centavos "Maicito" (Corn Coin)

If you inherited or found a small Mexican coin with an ear of corn on the back, you have the 1980 10 centavos, nicknamed the "Maicito" (little corn). Straight answer: circulated examples are worth pennies, a few cents in USD. This coin was struck by the tens of millions and is common today. Only a flawless uncirculated piece pulls a real premium, and even then it tops out around 10 to 65 Mexican pesos (roughly under 4 USD).

We say this because the search that brings people here is "how much is the corn coin worth," and the honest number matters more than a hopeful guess. This is a collectible, not a windfall. Below is exactly what you have, why it sells for so little, and the one detail that can make a specific example worth keeping.

What this coin actually is

The 1980 10 centavos is a small pocket coin with no silver in it. It is cuproníquel (a copper-nickel alloy), weighs 1.52 grams, and measures 15 mm across. The reverse shows a standing ear of corn with the value "10 CS.", the year, and the mint mark "Mo" for the Casa de Moneda de México (the Mexican Mint). The obverse carries the national coat of arms with the legend "Estados Unidos Mexicanos" (United Mexican States).

The corn design was created by Alfonso Rodríguez Facio and ran on this coin type from 1974 through 1980. The year 1980 was the final strike of the type, which is a small point of interest for collectors but does not make it rare on its own.

Collectors catalog it as KM#434.

Why it is worth so little

The mintage tells the whole story. In 1980 the Mexican Mint struck 21,290,000 of these coins. That is more than 21 million pieces, and they circulated heavily. Coins that survive by the millions do not command high prices, no matter how old or charming they look. Value in this piece comes from condition, not from the metal and not from age.

Here is the realistic range:

Coin	Year	Condition	Value (USD approx.)
10 Centavos "Maicito"	1980	Circulated (worn)	A few cents
10 Centavos "Maicito"	1980	Uncirculated (BU), well centered	About 0.50 to 3.50 USD (10 to 65 pesos)

BU means "brilliant uncirculated," a coin that never went into everyday use and shows no wear. A crisp, well-centered BU example with clean surfaces is the only version that brings the higher end of that range.

The one detail worth checking: varieties

For 1980 there are three recognized varieties, plus an overdate that catches collector interest. The differences are in the corn stalk and the spacing of the date:

• KM#434.1: sharp stalk, wide date (an overdate is reported on this variety)
• KM#434.2: blunt stalk, narrow date
• KM#434.3: blunt stalk, wide date

None of these varieties alone turns the coin into something valuable. But if your piece is in high grade and matches a sought-after variety, it becomes more interesting to a collector working to complete a set. That combination, high grade plus a specific variety, is the only path to any real premium here.

The ones people think are worth a fortune but aren't

A lot of people assume any old Mexican coin with an eagle or corn on it is worth serious money. This one is a clear case where the myth breaks down. The 1980 10 centavos is old enough to feel special and pretty enough to catch the eye, but it was made in the tens of millions and holds no precious metal. If someone tells you a circulated corn coin is worth hundreds of dollars, that is not accurate.

It is also no longer money. This coin type was demonetized on November 15, 1995. It is not legal tender anymore, so its only value is collectible.

How to tell if yours is genuine

This is a common circulation coin, so there is almost no reason for anyone to counterfeit it. Still, a quick check confirms what you have:

1. Metal: it should be cuproníquel, not silver and not pure copper.
2. Weight: about 1.52 grams.
3. Diameter: 15 mm.
4. Reverse: the standing ear of corn with "10 CS.", the year, and the "Mo" mint mark.
5. Obverse: the national coat of arms with "Estados Unidos Mexicanos."

If it matches those specs, you have a genuine 1980 Maicito.

How to check value and where to sell

Grade drives everything on this coin, so the first step is honest assessment. Compare your piece to photos of BU examples. Any wear on the high points of the corn or the eagle drops it into the low, few-cents tier. A clean, lustrous, well-centered coin is worth setting aside.

Because it is so common, selling a single circulated coin rarely makes sense on its own. Sellers do better with high-grade pieces or by putting together a full variety set. To compare prices and find dealers, use the Pesoteca store directory, and browse the rest of the Mexican centavos series to see where this coin fits in the run.

Have a 1980 Maicito and want a second opinion on the variety or grade? Post clear photos of both sides in the Pesoteca forum and the community will help you pin down exactly which KM# you have.

The cent coins form the base of the Mexican monetary system. Banxico has modified their diameters, materials, and alloys several times over the past decades to optimize minting costs. The 10 centavos cupronickel piece struck in 1980 belongs to the Banxico Colección Numismática catalog documented on its official site.

For Mexican collectors, cent pieces have value when they capture a change of material, a die error, or an atypically low mintage. Banxico publishes annual mintages in CM10 from the year 2000. For earlier pieces the data may not be available. This entry follows the convention of the PSM System, one ID per distinct physical piece, not per shared design.