100 Pesos Puebla (2005): What This Bimetallic Coin Is Worth

If you inherited or found a Mexican 100 pesos Puebla coin from 2005, here is the honest answer: in circulated or plain uncirculated condition, it is a modern collector coin, not a jackpot. The version that carries real value is the silver center proof/uncirculated piece sold by the Bank of Mexico. That is the coin worth chasing.

Most people find one of these in a drawer and assume any large, heavy, two-tone coin must be valuable. Some of these 100 pesos coins are, but only specific variants and only in top condition. Let's sort out which one you have.

What this coin actually is

The 100 Pesos Puebla belongs to a Mexican commemorative program marking the 180th anniversary of the union of the states into a federation. Each state in Mexico got its own reverse design, and Puebla was issued in the second, cultural phase of the series. The reverse shows a cultural motif tied to Puebla (architecture, a typical costume, flora or fauna, depending on the exact design), while the obverse carries the shared Mexican national coat of arms: the eagle devouring a serpent on a cactus.

Here is the part that matters for value. This denomination was struck in two very different forms:

1. Bimetallic circulating/base version. An aluminum-bronze center surrounded by an outer ring, no precious metal. This is common and worth close to face value.
2. Silver center version. The same design but with a 0.925 sterling silver core inside the bimetallic collar, sold by Banxico for collectors in a blister pack. This is the one with real upside.

If yours came in a sealed Bank of Mexico blister with a certificate, you likely have the silver-center collector piece. If you got it in change or loose in a coin jar, it is almost certainly the base version.

Specifications

Spec	Detail
Denomination	100 pesos
Year	2005
Weight	33.94 grams
Diameter	39 mm
Composition	Bimetallic (silver-center collector version has a 0.925 sterling core)
Edge	Discontinuous reeded
Series	Union of the States, cultural phase (Puebla)

What it's worth in USD

Be realistic. The base bimetallic version trades for roughly 5 to 15 USD to a collector, and near face value otherwise. It is not rare.

The silver-center collector version is where the money is. These typically sell in the range of 20 to 60 USD depending on condition and whether the original Banxico blister and certificate are intact. Complete, high-grade examples with packaging bring the top of that range. Loose, handled coins bring the bottom.

Anyone telling you a single one of these 2005 pieces is worth thousands of dollars is repeating clickbait. The value driver here is the silver content plus collector demand for the complete state series, not scarcity or age. To see how condition changes the number, use our coin grading guide.

The myth to ignore

The common belief is "big two-tone Mexican coin, must be silver, must be valuable." Wrong on the first count for most examples. The everyday circulating version has no silver at all. The color contrast comes from two base metals, not silver and gold. Weigh and measure before you get excited, and check whether you have the blister-packed collector coin.

How to tell if yours is genuine

Counterfeits of modern Mexican commemoratives exist, though they are less common than fakes of older silver pesos. Do these checks:

• Weigh it. A genuine coin is 33.94 grams. A jeweler's scale settles most questions fast.
• Measure the diameter. It should be exactly 39 mm. Fakes often miss on size.
• Inspect the strike. Real coins have crisp, well-defined relief. Flat, mushy detail or uneven metal coloring between center and ring are red flags.
• Check the edge. It should show the discontinuous reeding described above.

Most "error coins" people post online are actually post-mint damage: scratches, corrosion, or wear, not factory mistakes. Genuine, verifiable mint errors (off-center strikes, die rotation, doubling) can raise value, but they are rare and need expert confirmation.

Where to sell it

• A verified coin shop from the Pesoteca dealer directory will appraise it on the spot, no middleman markup.
• The Pesoteca buy-and-sell forum puts you in front of collectors who actually want the complete state series.

Before you sell, photograph the obverse, reverse, and edge, note whether you have the original blister, and compare against the price ranges above. Don't dump it to the first Facebook offer.

Have the silver-center version or think you spotted a genuine mint error? Post clear photos in the Pesoteca forum and let collectors weigh in before you decide what it's worth.

The record dedicated to Puebla 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 Great Pyramid of Cholula, or Tlachihualtépetl, the largest pyramidal structure in the world by volume, with a 400-meter base and 65 meters in height. The Pyramid of Cholula was built in stages between 200 B.C. and A.D. 800 by the Olmec-Xicallanca and later the Cholultecs. The Spanish took it for a natural hill and built the Sanctuary of Los Remedios at its summit in 1594, a syncretic practice documented by Bernardino de Sahagún. It has been an INAH Archaeological Zone since 1931.

State context: Puebla was established as a state on December 21, 1823. Its capital, Puebla de Zaragoza, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987 for its viceregal historic center. Ignacio Zaragoza defeated the French army on May 5, 1862 at the forts of Loreto and Guadalupe.

In the Mexican numismatic market the Cultural phase circulated less than the 2003 Coat of Arms phase, and today it 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 to circulation tends to be around 250,000 pieces per state in the Cultural phase. Always confirm against the catalog of the full 100 pesos States series before closing a large purchase.

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