Mexican banknotes

It depends on three things: the denomination and family, the condition and whether it has any rarity. A circulated note from a recent family is usually worth its face value; an uncirculated one (new, no folds) from a withdrawn denomination can be worth several times more. Notes with a low serial number, a radar (palindrome) or repeated digits, or a printing error, are the ones that climb the most. On every page in this catalog you'll see an estimated market value range.

Check four things: that it's uncirculated, the serial number (a low serial like 00000123, a radar like 1234321 or repeated digits are worth more), printing errors (misaligned cut, ink smear, shifted colors) and that it belongs to a family already withdrawn from circulation. If your note meets any of these, post it to the Pesoteca forum and the community will help you identify it. This catalog lets you place your piece by denomination, family or issuing bank.

In the Pesoteca directory of numismatic shops you'll find dealers and businesses that buy and sell banknotes in Mexico. Find a nearby shop in the directory, bring your note and ask for an appraisal; it's worth comparing at two or three places because it's an informal market with no regulated price. Before selling, identify your piece well in this catalog so you don't let it go for less than it's worth.

At the numismatic shops in the Pesoteca directory you can buy individual notes or complete a series. There are also collectors in the forum who trade and sell. Start by deciding what you want to put together (a full family, a denomination, notes from one issuing bank) and use this catalog's filters to see what exists before you buy.

Notaphily is the collecting of paper money: banknotes. It's the close cousin of numismatics (which covers coins), but focused on paper and polymer. In Mexico, notaphily spans everything from the private issuing banks of the 19th century to Banco de México's current Family G, passing through the paper money of the Revolution and the old pesos.

The Pesoteca catalog organizes Mexican banknotes into families by their issuer and era: Family G (current, polymer since 2018), F (transition 2006-2018), D (the new peso), AA (the new pesos of 1993), A (old pesos), the Revolution family, the private issuing banks (1864-1925) and the earlier forerunners. You can explore each family with the filter above.

Yes. The Pesoteca banknote pages are built with information from Banco de México's official numismatic collection (denomination, portrait, motif, year, security features) and rounded out with verified historical context. The market values are estimates based on the informal collecting market, not official prices.

Banknotes that are still legal tender can be used or exchanged at face value. When Banco de México withdraws a family from circulation it sets a deadline to exchange it; after that deadline the note loses its legal-tender status but may keep its collector value. Check the circulation status on each banknote's page in this catalog.

Printing errors make a note more valuable because they're pieces struck outside the norm that escaped quality control. The most sought after are misaligned cuts (the design appears shifted or clipped), smeared or runny ink, shifted colors, double printing and notes missing one of the security features. A common note with a genuine error can be worth several times its face value. If you think you have one, post it to the forum to verify it, because there are also fake alterations.

Rarity comes from several combined factors: a denomination or family with few survivors in good condition, a special serial number (a low serial like 00000045, a radar like 1234321, or repeated digits), a printing error, a specific uncommon signature or series, and above all uncirculated condition. A note from a withdrawn family, without folds and with an interesting serial, is the combo that notaphily collectors chase the most.

Commemorative notes (like the 100 peso Constitution note or the anniversary issues) tend to have smaller runs and are therefore more coveted. To find out if yours is a special issue, check the family and the motif on its page in this catalog: there we note whether it's commemorative and its context. No mass-printed piece is literally unique, but those from a limited run or with unrepeatable features (an error, a special serial) come close.