100 Pesos Carranza 1987 (Aluminum-Bronze): What It's Worth

If you inherited or found a 1987 Mexican 100 pesos coin, here is the honest answer: in most conditions it is worth well under 1 USD. This is a common circulation coin, not a rare find. A pristine uncirculated example might bring a few dollars from a collector, and that is the ceiling for the standard type.

We say this up front because the internet is full of listings claiming old Mexican coins are worth hundreds. This one is not. It was minted in the millions, it is made of a common alloy (aluminum-bronze, not silver or gold), and there are plenty of survivors. Value here comes almost entirely from condition and, occasionally, a genuine mint error.

What this coin actually is

This is a 100 pesos coin dated 1987, part of the "old peso" era before Mexico's 1993 currency revaluation that lopped three zeros off the currency. In the modern peso system, 100 old pesos became 0.10 new pesos, essentially nothing. That is why you cannot spend it today and why its collector value, not its face value, is what matters.

The coin features Venustiano Carranza, a key figure of the Mexican Revolution, and is sometimes called the "Carranza 100 pesos."

Specifications

• Denomination: 100 pesos (old peso era)
• Year: 1987
• Metal: Aluminum-bronze (a common copper alloy, no silver or gold)
• Weight: 11.75 grams
• Diameter: 26.52 millimeters
• Edge: Reeded
• Mint mark: "Mo" for the Casa de Moneda de México (Mexico City Mint)

Obverse (front): The Mexican national coat of arms (eagle on a cactus with a snake) and the inscription "ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS."

Reverse (back): The face value "$100," the year "1987," and the "Mo" mint mark.

What it's worth by condition

Since the metal has no precious-metal floor, everything rides on grade. Here is what these actually trade for.

Do not expect a worn example from pocket change to bring more than a novelty price. The premium starts only in true uncirculated condition, and even then it stays in the single digits for the standard coin.

To grade yours accurately before you sell, use the Pesoteca coin grading guide.

The one thing that could change the value: errors

Genuine mint errors are the only way this coin jumps in value. We are talking about off-center strikes, die rotation, double strikes, and documented die varieties. If verified by a reputable service, these can multiply the price several times over.

Be skeptical. Most "errors" people post online are post-mint damage: dings, corrosion, machine dents, and wear that mimic errors but are worthless. A real error happened at the mint, not in someone's coin jar. If you think you have one, photograph it and post it in the Pesoteca forum so collectors can weigh in before you get your hopes up.

How to tell if yours is genuine

Counterfeits of low-value circulation coins are uncommon (there is no profit in faking a coin worth 1 USD), but here is the quick check:

1. Weigh it. A genuine coin should be very close to 11.75 grams on a jewelry scale.
2. Measure it. The diameter should be 26.52 millimeters with calipers.
3. Check the strike. Real coins have crisp relief and even color. Fakes often show flat detail, wrong weight, or blotchy color.

If weight and diameter match and the detail is sharp, you almost certainly have the real thing.

Where to sell it

Because the value is modest, your goal is to avoid getting shortchanged on the rare good example or overpaying to sell the common ones.

• Verified coin shops in the Pesoteca shop directory will appraise it on the spot, city by city, without middleman markups.
• The Pesoteca buy/sell forum connects you directly with collectors, which is best if you have an uncirculated example or a suspected error.

Before listing anywhere, photograph the obverse, reverse, and edge, and compare your grade against the table above. Skip dumping it on social media to the first lowball offer.

Have a 1987 100 pesos sitting in a drawer? Post clear photos in the Pesoteca forum and let the community tell you whether it is a common dollar coin or something worth a second look.

The circulating Mexican peso coins of the second half of the 20th century were struck in alloys that changed according to the cost of metals and inflationary processes: .720 silver in the $1, $5, $10, $25 denominations during the 40s-50s; cupronickel from the 70s on; aluminum bronze and stainless steel in the 80s; pieces with figures (Hidalgo, Cuauhtemoc, Juarez, Madero, Carranza, Sor Juana) in the late 80s just before the transition to Nuevos Pesos in 1992. 1987 corresponds to the period in which this variant was in circulation.