5 Pesos Leona Vicario (2009): What It's Worth

If you inherited or found a 2009 Mexican 5-peso coin with a woman's face on it and "Leona Vicario" on it, here is the honest answer: the everyday circulation version is worth about face value, roughly 25 to 30 US cents, or a couple of dollars to a collector in top shape. The version that actually carries value is the proof coin with a solid silver center, and even that is measured in tens of dollars, not thousands.

This coin comes from Banco de México (Banxico, the country's central bank) and its 2009 Bicentennial of Independence program, a series honoring figures from Mexico's independence era. Leona Vicario was a journalist and insurgent informant. That history is interesting, but it does not by itself make the coin rare. Millions of these circulated.

Two very different versions (this decides the value)

There are two coins here that look similar but are worth very different money. Knowing which one you have is the whole game.

1. The circulation coin (the common one)

This is the bimetallic 5-peso piece that went into everyday pockets. Outer ring in aluminum-bronze, center in a plain base-metal alloy. If yours came from a change jar, a wallet, or a random box of coins, this is almost certainly what you have.

• Worn or average condition: face value, about 25 to 30 US cents.
• Uncirculated (no wear, original luster): usually 1 to 3 dollars to a collector completing the series.

These were made in large numbers. Age and a famous name do not override supply. Common stays common.

2. The proof silver version (the one worth chasing)

Banxico also released a proof coin where the center is .925 sterling silver (92.5% pure). Proof means specially struck for collectors with mirror-like fields, sold in an official Banxico case, not meant for circulation.

• With the original case and paperwork: typically in the range of 20 to 60 US dollars, depending on how clean the coin is and whether the presentation is intact.
• The silver center gives it a small metal floor, but the value here is mostly the collector premium for a low-mintage proof, not the bullion.

If your coin arrived sealed in a plastic capsule inside a box with a certificate, you likely have this version. That packaging is a big part of the value, so do not throw it out.

Specifications (verify against your coin)

Spec	Detail
Denomination	5 pesos, commemorative
Year	2009
Weight	9.76 g
Diameter	30.52 mm
Edge	Smooth (plain)
Composition	Aluminum-bronze ring, .925 silver center (proof version)
Finish	Proof (encased) and regular circulation
Issuer	Banco de México (Banxico)

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

Social media is full of posts claiming this coin sells for hundreds or thousands. For the ordinary circulation piece, that is not true. A common bimetallic 5-peso coin from 2009 does not command those prices no matter how sharp it looks. The only path to real money is a genuine, verifiable mint error or the official silver proof in top condition with its case, and even then you are talking tens of dollars in most cases.

If a listing shows a huge price, check whether it actually sold or is just an optimistic asking price. Those are not the same thing.

Are there valuable minting errors?

Yes, genuine mint errors can multiply the value: off-center strikes, die rotation, double strikes, and legitimate die varieties collectors track by fine edge or die details. The catch is that most "errors" people post online are post-mint damage: dings, corrosion, scratches from circulation. That is not a factory error and adds nothing. If you think you have a real one, get a second opinion before you assume it is worth money.

How to check what yours is worth

1. Identify the version. Case and certificate plus a mirror-finish silver center means the proof. No case, dull center, came from change means the common coin.
2. Weigh and measure it. Use a jewelry scale and calipers. It should be 9.76 g and 30.52 mm. Wrong weight or diameter, flat relief, or off colors point to a fake.
3. Grade it honestly. Wear, scratches, and cleaning all lower value. Never clean a coin. Cleaning almost always reduces what a collector will pay.
4. Compare real prices. Look at completed sales, not asking prices, for the correct version.

Where to sell it

For the best price and least hassle, use a verified dealer from the Pesoteca shop directory, who can appraise it on the spot, or the Pesoteca buy-and-sell forum where collectors trade directly. Photograph the front, back, and edge, and check the price range above before you accept an offer. Avoid dumping it on a social marketplace to the first lowball bidder. For more on the series, see our guides to Mexican commemorative coins and how coin grading works.

Do you have the plain change-jar version or the silver proof in its Banxico case? Post clear photos of both sides and the edge in the Pesoteca forum and the community will help you pin down which one you actually have.

María de la Soledad Leona Camila Vicario Fernandez de San Salvador: courier, spy, and financier of the insurgency

María de la Soledad Leona Camila Vicario Fernandez de San Salvador (1789-1842) was a courier, spy, and financier of the insurgency during the War of Independence.

Leona Vicario was part of Los Guadalupes, a clandestine urban network that sent money, information, and weapons to the insurgents from Mexico City. She was arrested in 1813 and confined in the convent of Belen de las Mochas. Upon escaping, she joined Morelos's army and used her own fortune to finance the printing of El Ilustrador Americano.

Context of the year. The piece is from 2009 and gives visibility to the women who sustained the insurgency. In 1813 her urban network was the main source of economic resources and intelligence for the Congress of Chilpancingo.

The reverse of the coin. The reverse of this 5-peso piece shows the portrait of María de la Soledad Leona Camila Vicario Fernandez de San Salvador, her engraved signature, and the year 2009, in accordance with the official Bank of Mexico catalog for the commemorative series of the Bicentennial of the start of Independence (1810-2010).

Legacy. The Mexican Congress declared her Benemerita and Dulcisima Madre de la Patria in 1842. Her remains rest in the Column of Independence. She appeared on the five-hundred-peso banknote between 2010 and 2018.