Mexico 10 Centavos 1998 (Stainless Steel): Value & Facts

If you found a Mexican 10 centavos dated 1998, the honest answer is that a circulated one is worth face value, roughly a few US cents. Mexico struck 602,667,000 of them, so it is one of the most common coins you can pull out of a change jar. In 2026, the only versions worth more than pocket change are uncirculated pieces or coins with a genuine mint error.

What this coin actually is

This is a stainless steel 10 centavos from Mexico's "nuevos pesos" system, struck at the Casa de Moneda de México (the Mexican Mint). You will see a small "Mo" mark on it, which is the mint mark, not a date or denomination.

Specifications, exactly as issued:

• Metal: stainless steel (no silver, no gold)
• Weight: 2.08 grams
• Diameter: 17 mm
• Edge: plain (smooth)
• Years of the type: 1992 to 2009

The front (obverse) carries the Mexican coat of arms, an eagle on a cactus eating a snake, with the legend ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS (the official name of Mexico, "United Mexican States"). The back (reverse) shows the value "10¢" inside a hexagonal panel, the year above and the "Mo" mint mark below, framed by the stylized sun rays from the Aztec Sun Stone (the piece often called the Aztec calendar). It is the same design across the whole stainless steel 10 centavos series.

How much is it worth?

Stainless steel has no bullion value, so there is no metal floor propping up the price. Whatever this coin is worth is purely numismatic, and for a coin this common that means very little.

Condition	Approximate value
Worn / circulated	Face value (a few US cents)
Lightly circulated	Under 25 US cents
Uncirculated (UNC)	Roughly 50 to 75 US cents

Numista lists the 1998 in a range of about 1 to 13.50 Mexican pesos depending on grade, which converts to just a few US cents up to under a dollar. A normal circulated example is worth its face value and nothing more. The only way this coin pays off is if it is fully uncirculated or carries a mint error.

Is it rare? No.

Mintage for 1998 was 602,667,000 pieces, and every year of the 1992 to 2009 series ran into the hundreds of millions. Numista scores it 4 out of 100 on its rarity index, meaning it is about as common as circulating coins get. Age is not rarity, and a coin from 1998 with 600 million siblings is not going to fund anything.

What could make yours worth more

Two things, and only two:

1. True uncirculated grade. A coin with full original luster and no wear can bring a small premium over face, but you are still talking about under a dollar for a piece this common.
2. A genuine mint error. Off-center strikes, doubled dies, or a coin struck on the wrong planchet (blank) are the only thing that can lift a common circulation coin into interesting money. Check the reverse and the edge with a loupe. If something looks clearly wrong, document it with clear photos before selling.

Most "errors" people spot are actually post-mint damage, which adds nothing. A real error is repeatable and struck into the coin, not scratched onto it.

How to tell if yours is genuine

Circulating coins of this era are almost never counterfeited, because there is no money in faking a coin worth a nickel. Still, a quick check:

• Weight should be 2.08 grams and diameter 17 mm.
• The low-alloy stainless steel usually reacts to a magnet.
• It must carry the "Mo" mint mark and the Mexican coat of arms on the obverse.

If your numbers match, it is genuine.

Where to sell it

Because it is so common, this coin trades in bulk lots of circulated Mexican coinage rather than as a single valuable piece. Do not expect a standalone buyer for one worn 10 centavos. If you have a jar of them or want to check whether one is uncirculated or an error, compare buyers first through the Pesoteca store directory before accepting any offer.

If you also inherited older or larger silver Mexican coins, those are a different story. Read our guide to the most valuable Mexican coins to see which ones actually command real prices.

Have a 10 centavos that looks off-center or doubled? Post clear photos of both sides in the Pesoteca forum and we will tell you whether it is a real error or just wear.

This 10-centavo piece from 1998 belongs to family B without the N$ prefix issued by Banxico. The 10 centavos are the most-used fractional step in Mexico. They appear when paying cash bills with an odd price and as change in supermarkets, tortilla shops, and pharmacies. Its face of national eagle + denomination + year is among the most familiar to the ordinary Mexican.

Stainless steel made it resistant to corrosion and cheap to mint. The piece replaced the copper-nickel that earlier generations had in the old peso system.

In 1998 annual inflation closed at 18.6% according to INEGI and the average exchange rate was 9.14 pesos per dollar according to Banxico's FIX. It was the contagion of the Russian and Asian crises. The peso jumped from seven to more than nine per dollar in the second half of the year. Fobaproa became the political debate of the year. The country was under the presidency of Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León (PRI).

Catalog reference: KM#547. The piece is part of the official Banxico Numismatic Collection catalog and follows the convention of the PSM System, one ID per distinct physical piece, not per design shared with other years of the same series.