20 Centavos 1973 (Copper): What It's Worth

Let's be direct: the 1973 Mexican 20 centavos copper coin is a common circulation piece, not a rarity. In most conditions it's worth a few cents to a couple of dollars. A pristine, uncirculated example or a certified error can bring more, but the plain worn coin you likely inherited is not a windfall.

This is the honest answer up front, because the internet is full of videos claiming old Mexican coins are worth thousands. For this particular coin, that's not true. What follows is what it actually is, what drives its value, and how to check yours.

What this coin is

The 20 centavos (twenty cents in the old peso system) was everyday pocket change in Mexico. The 1973 copper version was struck at the Casa de Moneda de México, the Mexican Mint, one of the oldest mints in the Americas.

Specifications:

• Metal: Copper (not silver, not gold, so there is no precious-metal floor here)
• Weight: 10.01 grams
• Diameter: 28.5 mm
• Edge: Plain (smooth)
• Era: Modern Mexico, pre-1992 currency

Front (obverse): The Mexican national coat of arms, an eagle on a cactus devouring a serpent, with the legend "ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS" (United Mexican States, the country's official name).

Back (reverse): The large face value "20 CENTAVOS," the year "1973," and the mint mark "Mo" for the Casa de Moneda de México.

Because it's copper, this coin has no melt value worth chasing. Its worth is purely collector demand, and demand for a common date in worn condition is low.

What it's actually worth

Value is driven by condition (grade) and whether the coin is still in its original Banxico blister packaging (the sealed plastic the Bank of Mexico used for uncirculated sets).

These are collector ranges, not guarantees. A dealer buying for resale pays less than the top of the range. If a listing tells you this exact coin is worth hundreds of dollars in ordinary condition, treat it as clickbait.

Check yours against our coin grading guide to place it in the right condition bracket before you buy or sell.

The "error coin worth a fortune" myth

Genuine mint errors (off-center strikes, die rotation, double strikes, recognized varieties) can multiply the value of a coin when they're real and verifiable. That's the honest exception.

The catch: most "errors" people post online are post-mint damage. Scratches, dents, corrosion, and cleaning are not mint errors and add no value. They usually lower it. Before you get excited, have the coin looked at by people who know the difference.

If you think you have a real error, post clear photos in the Pesoteca forum and let the community weigh in.

How to tell if it's genuine

Counterfeits of low-value circulation coins are uncommon, simply because there's little profit in faking a coin worth a dollar. Still, if you want to verify:

1. Weigh it. Use a jewelry scale. A genuine coin sits at 10.01 grams. A meaningful deviation is a red flag.
2. Measure the diameter. It should be 28.5 mm. Use calipers.
3. Look at the relief. Genuine strikes have sharp, well-defined detail. Fakes often show flat, mushy design and off color.

Match your coin to the specs above. Wrong weight, wrong diameter, or flat relief points to a fake or a damaged piece.

Where to sell it

For a coin in this value range, keep it simple and safe:

• A verified coin shop from the Pesoteca dealer directory. They appraise on the spot and pay fair market, no middleman markup.
• The Pesoteca buy-and-sell forum, where you deal directly with collectors who know what the coin is.

Photograph the front, back, and edge in good light before you sell, and check the range in this listing so you know what a fair offer looks like. Don't dump it to the first bidder on a random social media post.

Got a box of old Mexican coins and not sure which ones actually matter? Post your photos in the forum and we'll help you sort the pocket change from the pieces worth keeping.

The circulating centavo coins in Mexico during the second half of the 20th century were struck in alloys that changed according to the cost of metals: copper, bronze, and brass in low denominations (1¢, 5¢, 20¢); cupronickel for intermediate denominations (25¢, 50¢, late 10¢); and .720 silver for some 25¢ and 50¢ pieces in the 1950s. Each change of alloy generated a distinct variant of the same face value. 1973 corresponds to the period when this variant was in circulation, before the transition to Nuevos Pesos in 1992. The Mexican Mint kept the basic design of the National Coat of Arms on the obverse and the numeric value on the reverse throughout this era.