1/20 oz Silver Libertad 1993: Value & Prices

If you inherited or found a tiny silver coin marked "1/20" with an angel and two volcanoes, you have a fractional Onza Libertad. In circulated shape it is worth a few dollars over its silver content. Certified in top grade, it climbs into the tens of dollars and occasionally more. Here is the honest breakdown.

The 1/20 oz Silver Libertad 1993 is the smallest fraction in Mexico's flagship bullion series, the Libertad, struck by the Casa de Moneda de México (the Mexican Mint). "Onza" is Spanish for ounce, so "1/20 onza" means one twentieth of a troy ounce of silver.

What you actually have

This is a bullion coin, meaning its baseline value is tied to its metal, not to age. It contains pure .999 silver, weighs 1.54 grams, measures 16 mm across, and has a reeded (grooved) edge.

• Reverse (back): the Winged Victory, the statue from the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City, with the Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl volcanoes behind her. This is one of the most admired designs in modern world coinage.
• Obverse (front): the Mexican coat of arms (an eagle on a cactus with a snake).

The 1993 piece belongs to the original 1982-1995 die, nicknamed the "cuño gordita" (roughly "chubby die") by Mexican collectors because it is smaller in diameter and thicker than the modern die used since 1996. The 1/20 oz denomination was only added to the series in 1991, so early fractional dates like this one had a short window of production.

What it's worth in 2026

Be realistic. The coin holds only about 1.54 grams of silver, so its melt value is small, a couple of dollars, tracking the live silver spot price. Value above that comes from collector demand for fractional Libertads and, above all, from grade.

Condition	Typical value (USD)
Circulated, worn	roughly melt to 10
Uncirculated (BU)	15 to 40
Certified MS-65 or higher (NGC/PCGS)	40 to 150+

These are guide ranges for the general market, not a guaranteed offer. Fractional Libertads carry a higher premium over spot than the big 1 oz coin because they cost more to produce per gram of silver and because complete-set collectors chase the small fractions. A pristine, certified early-date fraction is where the real money sits.

Mexico's central bank, Banco de México, does not publish official yearly mintage figures for this era (its public CM10 records only start in the year 2000), so no confirmed mintage exists for the 1993 1/20 oz. Low documented supply can help value, but without a published number, treat any "only X were made" claim online as unverified.

How to check what yours is worth

1. Confirm the specs. It should weigh 1.54 g and measure 16 mm. A kitchen scale that reads to 0.01 g and a caliper settle most questions fast. Wrong weight or diameter is a red flag.
2. Do the ring test. Genuine .999 silver gives a high, sustained ring when tapped gently. Base-metal fakes sound dull and short.
3. Grade it honestly. Bag marks, scratches, and toning drop the value. If the coin looks flawless and you think it is uncirculated, that is when certification pays off.
4. Get it certified for anything above bullion. NGC and PCGS are the two grading services collectors trust. A certified MS grade removes doubt on both authenticity and condition, and it is the single biggest lever on price for a coin like this.

Counterfeits of the popular Libertad exist, so for any piece you believe is high grade, verified weight plus certification is your protection.

Where to sell it

• A verified numismatic shop appraises it on the spot and pays fair market for silver plus any collector premium. Browse the Pesoteca shop directory by city.
• The Pesoteca buy-and-sell forum connects you with collectors who actually want fractional Libertads: collector marketplace.
• Because this is a precious-metal coin, deal only with buyers who inspect the piece and its weight in person, and photograph the front, back, and edge before you list it.

Avoid dumping it to the first Facebook offer, and be cautious on open marketplaces where Libertad fakes circulate. If you want to compare it against the rest of the series, see our guide to the Onza Libertad silver family.

Have a 1/20 oz Libertad or a full set of fractions? Post clear photos of the obverse, reverse, and edge in the Pesoteca forum and let collectors help you pin down the grade and a fair price.

1/20 troy oz Libertad silver 1993 Regular BU

This piece is the 1/20 troy oz silver Libertad, minted by the Mexican Mint in 1993 in its Regular BU version.

Technical details. It contains 1.55 g of pure silver, .999 fineness, and measures 16 mm in diameter. The reverse bears the effigy of the Angel of Independence, adopted by Banxico as the official symbol of the series since 1981. The obverse shows the National Coat of Arms in its pre-1969 version, alongside other historical coats of arms as the family's mark of identity.

Role within the set. It is the smallest fraction of the set. It serves as an entry-level piece, a gift, or a first contact with the series: it costs little per example but carries the highest premium in the family over the value of the silver it contains, because the die cost is spread across fewer grams.

Context of the year. In 1993 Carlos Salinas de Gortari was in office. NAFTA was signed in Washington. The Nuevo Peso took effect on January 1. The Libertad was minted without a nominal denomination, indicating only its pure silver content.

Regular BU finish. The Regular finish, cataloged by Banxico as satin or BU, is produced with dies that receive no special polishing. The result is an even matte luster across the entire surface, with no mirror contrast between fields and reliefs. It is the traditional bullion finish: bought for its weight in pure silver plus a modest die premium. It is the version collectors seek to build the complete set by year without decapitalizing on each piece.

Mintage. The exact mintage of this combination does not appear in the Bank of Mexico's public 2000-2025 tables. For pieces outside that range, the Mint's specific catalog must be consulted.