1974 Mexican 5 Centavos (Josefa Ortiz): What It's Worth

If you inherited or found a 1974 Mexican 5 centavos, here is the honest answer: it is worth a few cents. Over 401 million were made, it contains no silver, and even in perfect condition it sells for under a dollar. This is one of the most common Mexican coins of its era.

What it's worth in 2026

Don't expect a payday from this one. In circulated grades (worn, the way most turn up in old jars and drawers) it trades for a few cents, essentially face-value collector filler. Even in fully uncirculated condition (UNC, meaning no wear from handling), catalog references put it around 6 to 7 Mexican pesos, roughly 30 to 40 US cents.

The reason is simple: supply. The Mexican Mint (Casa de Moneda de México) struck 401,584,000 of these in 1974 alone, one of the highest mintages in the entire series. When hundreds of millions of a coin exist, rarity value never develops.

Is it silver? No

This is the question we get most, and the answer clears up a lot of hope. The 1974 5 centavos is brass, an alloy of 85% copper and 15% zinc. That is what gives it the yellowish, brassy tone. It is often loosely labeled "copper," but it is neither pure copper nor silver. It has no precious-metal content, so there is no melt value to fall back on. Whatever this coin is worth comes entirely from condition, and that ceiling is low.

What the coin shows

The reverse carries the bust of Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, known as la Corregidora de Querétaro. She was a key figure at the start of Mexico's independence movement in 1810, when she warned the conspirators that their plot had been discovered. Below the portrait it reads CINCO CENTAVOS with the year and the mint mark Mo (for the Mexico City mint). The obverse shows the Mexican coat of arms, an eagle on a cactus, with the legend ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS.

How to tell if yours is genuine

With a coin this common, fakes make no economic sense, so authenticity is rarely a concern. Still, if you want to confirm you have the right piece, check the physical specs: it should weigh about 2.75 g, measure 18 mm across, and have a plain (smooth) edge. The tone is yellow-brass, not silver-gray. Obverse: coat of arms. Reverse: Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez with the Mo mint mark. If your numbers match, it is the standard KM 427 issue.

Any valuable error varieties?

There is no famous, confirmed error variety for the 1974 5 centavos. As with any mass-produced coin, off-center strikes or die anomalies can turn up, but those have to be verified piece by piece and are the exception, not something to count on.

Where to sell it

Because the value is so low, this coin almost never sells on its own. It usually moves in bulk lots of Mexican coins rather than as a single sale. If you are trying to sell or want a nice example for a set, the practical route is to contact sellers in the Pesoteca shop directory. This piece belongs to the broader run of Mexican centavos from the pre-1992 modern era.

Have a jar of old Mexican coins you're sorting through? Post photos in the Pesoteca forum and we'll help you spot the ones actually worth setting aside.

The circulating centavo coins 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 alloy change produced a distinct variant of the same face value. 1974 corresponds to the period when 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.