100 Pesos Michoacán 2005: What This Silver Bimetallic Coin Is Worth

If you inherited a large, heavy Mexican coin marked "100 PESOS" with a two-color look and "Michoacán" on the back, you have something with real silver in it, and a real floor value. In 2026, a 2005 100 Pesos Michoacán typically sells for about USD 25 to 55, driven mostly by its silver core rather than rarity. Here is the honest breakdown.

Quick answer: is it worth money?

Yes, more than face value, but not a fortune. This is a bimetallic commemorative coin: an outer ring of aluminum-bronze wrapped around an inner core of .925 sterling silver. That silver center is what gives the coin a hard floor, no matter how worn it is. It will never drop to pocket-change value the way most modern coins do.

The coin belongs to a large series Mexico issued to honor its 32 states, called the "Unión de los Estados en una Federación" (Union of the States in a Federation). Michoacán is one of the states in the second, cultural phase of that series. Because Mexico minted these for many states across several years, no single one is genuinely rare. Value comes from the silver plus a modest collector premium, not scarcity.

What you actually have (specifications)

• Face value: 100 pesos
• Year: 2005
• Composition: bimetallic. Outer ring aluminum-bronze, inner core .925 silver (sterling)
• Silver content: roughly 0.643 troy ounces of pure silver in the core
• Total weight: 33.94 grams
• Diameter: 39 millimeters
• Edge: interrupted reeding
• Finish: satin

Obverse (front): the Mexican national coat of arms, an eagle devouring a serpent on a cactus. This front design is shared across every coin in the 100 Pesos states series.

Reverse (back): a cultural motif representing Michoacán (architecture, wildlife, an archaeological site, or a traditional dance or costume). Confirm the exact design against the official Banco de México catalog before you catalog your piece.

What it's worth by grade

The two things that move the price: condition, and whether you still have the original Banco de México presentation blister (the sealed plastic case it was sold in). A sealed, untouched coin with its case sells for noticeably more than a loose, handled one.

Condition	What it looks like	Approx. value (USD)
Circulated / handled	Scratches, fingerprints, no case	22 to 30
Uncirculated, loose	Clean, no wear, no case	30 to 42
Sealed in original Banxico blister	Untouched, mint case	40 to 55

These are working ranges for a common-date piece. The silver alone sets the floor: even a beat-up example is worth its melt value, which tracks the live silver spot price. When silver rises, so does the floor on this coin.

Don't fall for the "rare" myth

Social media posts love to claim any large, silver-looking Mexican coin is worth hundreds or thousands of dollars. For this issue, that is not true. The 100 Pesos states series was produced in solid quantities for collectors, and Michoacán is not a key date. If someone offers you USD 300 for one, they are either mistaken or hoping you are. A genuine, run-of-the-mill 2005 Michoacán tops out around USD 55 in a sealed case.

The exception is a verifiable mint error: an off-center strike, a die rotation, a double strike, or a documented variety. Real errors can multiply value. But most "errors" people post online are post-mint damage (dings, corrosion, cleaning marks), not factory errors. If you think you have a true one, get it looked at before you get your hopes up.

How to tell if yours is genuine

Counterfeits of bimetallic coins usually fail on the basics:

1. Weigh it. Use a jewelry scale. It should read 33.94 grams. A fake is often off by more than a gram.
2. Measure it. Diameter should be 39 millimeters. Check with calipers.
3. Look at the relief. Genuine coins have crisp, sharp detail. Fakes look flat or mushy.
4. Check the two colors. The silver center and bronze ring should be cleanly separated, with no smearing between them.

If the weight and diameter match and the detail is sharp, you almost certainly have a real one. For a definitive answer on a valuable or error piece, third-party grading (NGC or PCGS) both authenticates and grades it.

Where to sell it

To get a fair price, use a channel where the buyer actually knows what a silver bimetallic coin is worth:

• A verified coin dealer from the Pesoteca shop directory, who will appraise it on the spot at silver-plus-premium, not just melt.
• The Pesoteca buy-and-sell forum, where collectors trade directly.
• Established online coin marketplaces, where you can compare recent sold listings.

Photograph the obverse, reverse, and edge in good light before you sell, and check the range in this listing so you know your floor. Avoid dumping it to the first random offer on Facebook, where casual buyers rarely account for the silver.

Before you set a price, read our coin grading guide and browse the full 100 Pesos states series to see how Michoacán stacks up against the other issues.

Got one sitting in a drawer and not sure of the grade? Post clear photos of both sides on the Pesoteca forum and let collectors weigh in on what yours would bring.

The piece dedicated to Michoacan belongs to the first wave of the Cultural phase, issued in 2005 along with most of the set. Banxico called this second stage Emblematic Motifs and replaced the state coat of arms with a specific cultural symbol.

The reverse of the piece shows the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) on a sacred fir from the sanctuaries of Angangueo, in the eastern mountain system of the state. The monarch butterfly's migration from Canada and the United States to Michoacan's fir forests is one of the most remarkable migratory phenomena in the animal kingdom, covering between 3,500 and 4,500 kilometers per generation. The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. The colonies overwinter from November to March.

State context: Michoacan was established as a state on December 22, 1823. Its capital Morelia was named Valladolid until 1828, when it changed its name in honor of Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon, born there in 1765. The territory was the seat of the Purepecha empire, one of the few peoples that militarily resisted Mexica expansionism.

In the Mexican numismatic market the Cultural phase circulated less than the Coat of Arms 2003 phase and today is usually found in higher grades because it reached the streets late. Banxico's official mintages for this piece are not always published in the Economic Information System, but the figure reported for circulation tends to hover around 250,000 pieces per state in the Cultural phase. Always confirm against the catalog of the complete 100 pesos States series before closing a large purchase.

The Coat of Arms 2003 sibling of Michoacan is part of the first phase of the series, with the state's official coat of arms on the reverse. Chasing both pieces completes the set dedicated to Michoacan.