1915 Oaxaca 2 Pesos Silver: Value & How to Sell

If you inherited or found a 1915 Oaxaca 2 Pesos silver coin, here is the honest answer: most examples trade from their silver melt value up to a few hundred US dollars, with sharp, well-struck pieces reaching more. This is a genuine Mexican Revolution issue, not a modern souvenir, and that history is exactly why collectors want it.

The coin was struck in 1915 by the Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca (the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca). During the Revolution, several factions and states minted their own money when the central supply broke down. Oaxaca declared itself sovereign and issued its own coinage, which is what makes these pieces a distinct and collectible series today.

Quick answer: what it's worth

Value depends almost entirely on condition (grade) and whether the piece is genuine. A worn, circulated example is worth close to its silver content plus a modest collector premium. A sharp, high-grade coin with clean surfaces can bring a strong multiple of that. Because Revolution-era Oaxaca coins were made under crude wartime conditions, well-struck survivors are scarcer than the mintage alone suggests, and that scarcity is where the money is.

Coin	Year	Metal	Typical value range (USD)
2 Pesos, Oaxaca	1915	Silver, 14.07 g	Melt value to several hundred, by grade
Same, high grade / certified	1915	Silver	Higher end, depends on eye appeal and rarity of variety

Because these are silver, they have a floor: the coin can never be worth less than its metal content. That protects you from the low end, but it also means a beat-up common example is not a lottery ticket.

The specs (keep these exact)

These are the numbers you use to verify a real coin. If yours does not match, be suspicious.

• Metal: silver
• Weight: 14.07 g
• Diameter: 33.56 mm
• Edge: incuse (lettering or design pressed into the edge rather than raised)
• Mint: Oaxaca
• Catalog reference: listed in specialized catalogs as Oax. 67
• Denomination: 2 Pesos. The peso has been Mexico's base monetary unit since Independence.

Why some sell for much more

Three things drive the price above melt:

1. Grade. A coin with full detail, original surfaces, and no cleaning or corrosion is worth far more than a smooth, worn one. Certified grades from NGC or PCGS command the biggest premiums because buyers trust them.
2. Variety. The Oaxaca provisional series has multiple die varieties. Some are common; a few are genuinely scarce and worth a premium if correctly attributed.
3. Genuine mint errors. True off-center strikes, die rotations, or double strikes can multiply value. But be careful: most "errors" people post online are post-mint damage (dings, corrosion, environmental wear), not factory errors.

The myth to ignore

"It's over 100 years old, so it must be worth a fortune." Age alone does not make a coin valuable. Millions of old coins are worth pocket change. What matters is survivors in good condition and collector demand. The 1915 Oaxaca 2 Pesos is collectible and has a real silver floor, but a common, worn example is not going to fund a retirement. Price it on the evidence, not on the year stamped on it.

How to tell if yours is genuine

Counterfeits of Revolution-era silver do exist. Check before you buy or sell:

• Weigh it on a jewelry scale. It should be very close to 14.07 g. Wrong weight is the fastest red flag.
• Measure the diameter with calipers against 33.56 mm.
• Inspect the strike. Flat, mushy relief or colors that look off can signal a cast fake or a plated base-metal copy.
• Be suspicious of any offer far below the silver value. No honest seller gives away silver.

When in doubt, professional grading (NGC or PCGS) both authenticates and grades the coin in one step, which also raises what a buyer will pay.

Where to sell it

• A verified numismatic shop from the Pesoteca dealer directory will appraise it on the spot, by city, without a middleman markup.
• The Pesoteca buy-and-sell forum connects you directly with collectors, who often pay more than a quick-flip buyer.
• Photograph the obverse (front), reverse (back), and edge before you list it. Compare the specs above.
• Avoid dumping it to the first Facebook offer. For a silver coin, always deal with someone who will show you the piece and its weight, and verify before money changes hands.

Think you have a scarce variety or a real mint error on your 1915 Oaxaca 2 Pesos? Post clear photos in the Pesoteca forum and let the community weigh in before you sell.