1985 Mexico 100 Pesos (Carranza): What It's Worth

If you inherited or found a 1985 Mexican 100 pesos coin with a man's profile on it, here is the honest answer: it is worth roughly 1 to 5 USD in most cases. It is not silver, it is not rare, and the online listings asking hundreds of dollars almost never sell. In 2026, only pristine uncirculated examples bring any premium.

This is a common coin. Mexico struck 377,423,000 of them in 1985 alone, and the full Carranza series (1984 to 1992) topped 2 billion pieces. Almost anyone who saved pocket change in Mexico during that era still has one in a drawer.

What is this coin?

The 100 pesos of 1985 is an aluminum-bronze coin from Mexico's inflation years of the 1980s. The portrait is Venustiano Carranza, a Mexican revolutionary leader and former president, shown in profile facing right with the legend V.CARRANZA. It carries the value 100, the year, and the mintmark Mo (for the Casa de Moneda de México, the Mexican Mint). The obverse shows the national coat of arms, an eagle on a cactus.

One detail most people miss: just above Carranza's head are seven raised dots. That is the number 100 in Braille, added so visually impaired people could identify the denomination by touch.

How much is it worth?

Because it is common, price depends almost entirely on condition (grade). Aluminum-bronze is an alloy of copper with aluminum and a little nickel, so there is no precious metal to set a floor value. Nothing here is silver or gold.

The thousand-peso and multi-hundred-dollar listings you see online are almost always uncirculated pieces or seller optimism, not real sale prices. Treat them as asking prices, not market value.

Specifications

Small differences between our figures and international catalogs are normal variation between sources.

Varieties: the date "5"

Collectors recognize two die varieties in the 5 of the 1985 date: one with a curved tip and one with a flat tip. These are collector varieties, not dramatic errors, and on their own they do not spike the price. Grade still drives value. If you want to complete the year by variety, see the full series.

Is it rare?

No. With 377 million struck in 1985 and over 2 billion across the whole series, this is one of the most heavily minted Mexican coins of the decade. It is easy to find and easy to buy.

How to tell if yours is genuine

With a common, low-alloy coin there is almost no incentive to counterfeit it, so authenticity is rarely an issue. Still, you can check:

• Weight near 11.81 g and diameter near 26.61 mm.
• Reeded (grooved) edge.
• Carranza in profile with the legend V.CARRANZA, the Mo mintmark, and the seven Braille dots above the head.

Where to sell it

Since the value is modest, your best options are collector groups, local coin shops, and online marketplaces where similar pieces actually sell. Check completed sales, not active listings, to see real prices. To buy or sell, browse the Pesoteca shop directory.

Got a whole box of old Mexican coins and not sure which ones matter? Post photos in the Pesoteca forum and we'll help you sort the common from the keepers.

The Mexican circulating peso coins of 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 figures (Hidalgo, Cuauhtémoc, Juárez, Madero, Carranza, Sor Juana) in the late 1980s just before the transition to Nuevos Pesos in 1992. 1985 corresponds to the period when this variant was in circulation.