Mexican 5 Pesos Filomeno Mata 2009: Value & Prices

If you found a Mexican 5 Pesos coin dated 2009 with the name Filomeno Mata on it, here is the honest answer: the regular circulated version is worth about its face value, roughly a quarter in US terms. The one that carries real value is the proof version, which contains a solid silver center. In 2026, that is the distinction that decides whether you have pocket change or a small collectible.

This is a commemorative coin, not an ancient rarity. Mexico's central bank, Banco de México (Banxico, the equivalent of the US Federal Reserve), struck it in 2009 as part of a series marking the Centenario de la Revolución Mexicana, the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution. The specific design honors Filomeno Mata, an opposition journalist during the Porfirio Díaz era. Millions of the circulating version went into everyday use, which is why most of them are worth exactly what they say: 5 pesos.

The two versions, and why only one has value

There are two distinct coins here, and telling them apart is the whole game.

The circulating version. This is the one that turned up in change in Mexico. It is bimetallic (an aluminum-bronze outer ring around a center core) and was made in large numbers. In 2026, a circulated example is worth face value, around 25 to 30 US cents at the exchange rate, and even an uncirculated one rarely clears a dollar or two among collectors.

The proof version. This is the collectible. Banxico issued a limited proof run where the center core is genuine .925 sterling silver, sold in an official Banxico case (estuche). Proof means a mirror-finish, specially struck coin made for collectors, never for spending. If your coin came in a sealed capsule inside a presentation case, that is the version that carries real value.

Specifications (keep these exact)

Spec	Value
Denomination	5 Pesos
Year	2009
Weight	9.76 g
Diameter	30.52 mm
Edge	Plain (smooth)
Composition	Aluminum-bronze ring, silver .925 center (proof)
Finish	Proof (encapsulated) and regular circulation
Issuer	Banco de México

The silver center on the proof is .925 fineness, the same purity as sterling flatware. That gives the proof a bullion floor: even at its worst, the silver content is worth more than face value. The circulating version's core is base metal, so it has no bullion premium at all.

What it actually sells for

• Circulated, regular strike: face value, roughly 25 to 30 US cents.
• Uncirculated, regular strike: typically 1 to 3 dollars to a collector completing the set.
• Proof with silver center, in original Banxico case: the meaningful figure. Depending on condition and whether the certificate and case are intact, these trade in the range of a few tens of dollars, driven by the silver content plus the collector premium for the sealed proof.

We will not quote a fake precise auction record for this piece. It is a modern commemorative, not a six-figure rarity, and any site telling you a 2009 coin is worth thousands is selling clicks. The realistic ceiling for the proof is modest but real, and it comes from the silver plus the limited proof mintage.

The myth to ignore

"Old-looking Mexican coin, must be worth a fortune." Not here. This coin is from 2009, it is not old, and the circulating version was made by the millions. Age is not what drives value. Rarity, demand, grade, and metal content are. On this coin, the only lever that moves the price is whether you have the silver proof or the base-metal circulating strike.

Be skeptical of "minting error" claims too. Genuine, verifiable errors (off-center strikes, die rotation, double strikes) can multiply a coin's value. But most "errors" people post online are post-mint damage: dings, corrosion, or scratches from circulation. That lowers value, it does not raise it.

How to check what yours is worth

1. Confirm the version. Case and capsule with a silver center means proof. Loose coin from change means circulating. This single fact sets the price.
2. Weigh and measure it. Use a jeweler's scale and a caliper. It should weigh 9.76 g and measure 30.52 mm. Counterfeits usually miss on weight or diameter, or show flat, mushy relief.
3. Grade the condition. For the collectible proof, mirror surfaces and no handling marks matter. Scratches and fingerprints on a proof cut value fast.
4. Get a second opinion. If you think you have a genuine error or a high-grade proof, post clear photos of the front, back, and edge in the Pesoteca forum and let collectors weigh in before you sell.

Where to sell it

For a fair price, use a verified numismatic dealer from the Pesoteca shop directory, which appraises the piece on the spot, or sell collector-to-collector in the Pesoteca buy-and-sell forum. Photograph the coin (front, back, and edge) and check the price range on this page before you agree to anything. Do not dump it on the first buyer on social media.

If you have the full Centenario de la Revolución series and not just the Filomeno Mata piece, the set together can be worth more than the coins sold one by one. Which version did yours turn out to be, the base-metal circulating strike or the silver proof? Post a photo in the Pesoteca forum and the community will confirm it.

Filomeno Mata Rodriguez: journalist opposed to the Porfiriato

Filomeno Mata Rodriguez (1845-1911) was a journalist opposed to the Porfiriato during the Mexican Revolution.

Filomeno Mata founded and directed the Diario del Hogar, one of the few outlets that openly criticized the regime of Porfirio Díaz. He was imprisoned repeatedly for his editorials, which cost his newspaper economic ruin. He supported Madero's candidacy in 1910 and suffered new arrests shortly before the revolutionary outbreak.

Context of the year. The piece is from 2009 and honors the journalism that heralded the movement. In the late Porfiriato, the Diario del Hogar was one of the few dissident voices that survived censorship.

The reverse of the coin. The reverse of this 5 pesos piece shows the portrait of Filomeno Mata Rodriguez, his engraved signature and the year 2009, in accordance with the Bank of Mexico's official catalog for the commemorative series of the Centennial of the start of the Revolution (1910-2010).

Legacy. Filomeno Mata street in the Historic Center of Mexico City, next to the Palacio de Bellas Artes, bears his name in recognition of his fight for freedom of the press.