1980 Mexican 10 Pesos Coin: Value & Facts

If you found a 1980 Mexican 10 pesos coin in a drawer or an inherited jar of change, here is the honest answer: in circulated condition it is worth about 25 cents to 1 dollar to a collector, and only a little more in pristine, uncirculated grade. This is a common circulation coin, not a rare find. The value comes from condition, not age.

Quick answer: what is a 1980 10 pesos worth?

Most 1980 10 pesos coins trade for well under 2 dollars. The mint struck these in large numbers for everyday use, so survivors are plentiful. A worn example is worth pocket change. A crisp, uncirculated coin with full luster can reach a few dollars from the right collector, but do not expect a windfall.

One important note on the currency itself: this is an "old peso" coin from before Mexico's 1993 currency reform, which knocked three zeros off the peso. So the 10 pesos face value printed on the coin is essentially symbolic today. It is no longer legal tender. Its worth is purely as a collectible.

What this coin actually is

The 1980 10 pesos is a cupronickel coin (a copper-nickel alloy, silver in color but containing no precious metal). Here are the exact specifications:

Obverse (front): The Mexican national coat of arms (the eagle on a cactus devouring a serpent) with the inscription "ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS," which simply means United Mexican States, the country's official name.

Reverse (back): The face value of 10 pesos, the date 1980, and the "Mo" mint mark of the Mexico City Mint.

Is it silver? No

This is the first thing US finders ask, so let us be direct: the 1980 10 pesos contains no silver. It is cupronickel, the same family of alloy the US uses in its dimes and quarters. There is no melt value worth chasing here. If you are looking for Mexican silver, that means older 10 peso coins (the large 1955-1956 silver 10 pesos, for example) or bullion pieces like the Onza Libertad, a modern silver ounce coin. Those are different animals entirely and worth checking your box for.

Value by grade

Condition, called "grade" by collectors, is what separates a 25-cent coin from a few-dollar coin. General ranges for the 1980 10 pesos:

• Circulated (worn, scratched, dull): roughly 25 cents to 1 dollar.
• Uncirculated (no wear, full detail, some luster): 1 to 3 dollars.
• High-grade certified (MS graded by NGC or PCGS): a few dollars, occasionally more for a top-population example, but rarely worth the certification cost.

To grade your coin yourself, compare it against our coin condition grading guide.

Are there valuable error versions?

Genuine mint errors (off-center strikes, die rotation, doubled dies) can multiply the value of a coin. But be realistic: most "errors" people spot on this coin are post-mint damage, corrosion, dings, or wear, not factory mistakes. Those add nothing. If you believe you have a real struck error, photograph both sides and post it in the Pesoteca forum so the community can weigh in before you get excited.

How to tell if yours is genuine

This coin is common enough that counterfeits are rare, but it is easy to verify. Weigh it on a jewelry scale (it should be 14.05 grams) and measure the diameter with calipers (30.58 mm). Fakes usually miss on weight or diameter, or show flat, mushy relief. The edge should be reeded (grooved), and the color should be uniform.

Where to sell it

Because the value is modest, keep your costs down. Options:

• A verified dealer from the Pesoteca shop directory can appraise it on the spot, no marked-up middleman.
• The Pesoteca buy-and-sell forum puts you in front of actual collectors.

Photograph the obverse, reverse, and edge before you list anything, and check the ranges above so you know what to expect. Do not dump it to the first Facebook buyer for far less than it is worth (or, honestly, far more than it is worth in your favor either, since a 25-cent coin is a 25-cent coin).

Got a jar of these and want to know if anything in it is actually rare? Post your photos in the Pesoteca forum and let collectors tell you which ones are keepers.

Mexican circulating peso coins from the second half of the 20th century were struck in alloys that changed according to the cost of metals and inflationary processes: .720 silver in the $1, $5, $10, $25 denominations during the 1940s-50s; cupronickel from the 1970s; aluminum bronze and stainless steel in the 1980s; pieces with historical figures (Hidalgo, Cuauhtémoc, Juárez, Madero) in the late 1980s just before the transition to Nuevos Pesos in 1992. 1980 corresponds to the period in which this variant circulated.