Mexican 25 Centavos 1964 (Madero): Value & Worth

If you inherited a 1964 Mexican 25 centavos coin and hoped it was silver, here is the honest answer: it isn't, and it's worth between 0.80 and 3.68 USD depending on condition. Worn examples are worth a few cents. Only uncirculated pieces with original shine reach the top of that range.

This is a common coin, not a rarity. So before you get your hopes up, let's lay out exactly what it is, what it's made of, and why the date on it doesn't make it valuable.

What is the 1964 25 centavos?

"Centavos" are the Mexican equivalent of cents (100 centavos make one peso). This piece is 25 centavos, so a quarter-peso, roughly the same idea as a US quarter but a much lower face value.

The coin shows the bust of Francisco I. Madero (a Mexican revolutionary leader and former president) facing slightly to the right, with the legend VEINTICINCO CENTAVOS ("twenty-five centavos"), the year, and the Mo mintmark of the Casa de Moneda de México (the Mexican Mint) on the reverse. The other side carries the National Coat of Arms with ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS ("United Mexican States").

Mexico tried twice in the 20th century to bring back the 25 centavos denomination. The first attempt (1950 to 1953) failed because people preferred the 20 centavos coin. This 1964 to 1966 type ran into the same problem, which is why it was struck for only three years.

Is it silver? No.

This is the question we get most, and the answer matters for your wallet. The 1964 25 centavos is cupronickel: 75% copper, 25% nickel. There is no silver and no precious metal in it at all.

That means it has no melt value floor. Its price is purely numismatic (collector-driven), tied entirely to how well preserved it is.

Do not confuse it with the much older silver 25 centavos coins from earlier decades. Those are a completely different animal. This 1964 piece has zero silver content.

Specifications:

Is it rare?

No. In 1964 alone the mint struck 20,686,000 pieces, and the type circulated for three years. Millions are still out there, and they turn up regularly in bulk lots of old Mexican change.

What drives the price is not the date. It's the grade. A coin that spent years in circulation is worn and worth almost nothing. A coin that never circulated, still carrying its original mint shine, sits at the top of the range.

What is it worth in 2026?

Reference catalogs place this coin between 0.80 and 3.68 USD (roughly 15 to 70 Mexican pesos) depending on condition. That's the whole story: this is a low-value modern coin. If someone tells you a common 1964 25 centavos is worth hundreds, they're wrong.

The only realistic way to get more than face is if your example is pristine, in a certified holder, or if a collector is trying to complete the 1964 to 1966 type set.

How to tell if yours is genuine

Counterfeiting a coin worth a few dollars makes no sense, so fakes are rare. Still, check the hard numbers:

• Weight should be close to 5.49 g.
• Diameter should be 23 mm.
• Edge should be reeded (grooved), not smooth.
• Design should show the Madero bust on the reverse with the Mo mintmark.

If the weight or diameter is far off, or the edge is smooth, be suspicious.

Where to sell it

Because it's a common coin, the best places are bulk circulation lots and dealers who handle modern Mexican coinage. To buy or sell without guessing at prices, check the Pesoteca dealer directory. For more coins from this era, see /era/moderna-pre1992.

Got a box of old Mexican coins and not sure what's actually worth keeping? Post clear photos in the Pesoteca forum and we'll help you sort the common change from anything worth setting aside.

The centavo coins circulating in Mexico during the second half of the 20th century were struck in alloys that changed according to the cost of metals: copper, bronze, and brass in the low denominations (1¢, 5¢, 20¢); cupronickel for the intermediate denominations (25¢, 50¢, late 10¢); and .720 silver for some 25¢ and 50¢ pieces in the 1950s. Each change of alloy produced a distinct variant of the same face value. 1964 corresponds to the period in which this variant was in circulation, before the transition to Nuevos Pesos in 1992. The Mexican Mint kept the basic design of the National Coat of Arms on the obverse and the numeric value on the reverse throughout this era.