Mexican 20 Peso Gold Coin

The Aztec Sun Stone in Gold

The Mexican 20 Peso carries the Aztec Sun Stone on one side and Mexico’s national arms on the other. It weighs 16.666 grams at .900 fine, which leaves 0.4823 troy ounces of pure gold, a little under half an ounce. The coin states its own gold content: 15 Gr. ORO PURO, fifteen grams of pure gold.

Struck in the Year of the Constitution

Mexico introduced the 20 peso gold coin in 1917, the year its revolutionary decade produced the Constitution of 1917, and struck it for circulation through 1921 under the Monetary Reform Act of 1905. The design is by Jorge Enciso. Its centerpiece, the Sun Stone, was carved around 1479 and rediscovered beneath Mexico City’s central plaza in 1790, and it is one of the best-known works of Aztec art.

Both Faces of the Coin

One side carries the Seal of the United Mexican States: an eagle perched on a nopal cactus, a serpent in its beak and talon, with ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS around it and the date. The other carries the Sun Stone itself, with VEINTE PESOS wrapped around the bottom of the stone and 15 Gr. ORO PURO between two stars below it. The edge is not reeded. It is smooth and lettered INDEPENDENCIA Y LIBERTAD, independence and liberty.

Circulated, Date of Our Choosing

We list these coins as Extra Fine, which means complete detail with minor wear on the high points of the design. The date is our pick from available stock and cannot be requested, and your coin will not match the photos. This is a collectible, and its value comes from its gold, its condition and its history rather than its metal weight alone.

Mexican 20 Peso Gold Coin Specifications

Each coin weighs 16.666 grams of .900 fine gold, holding 0.4823 troy ounces of pure gold, and measures 27.5 mm across with a lettered edge. Full current specs are on the Specifications tab above.

Mexican 20 Peso Gold Coin FAQ

How much gold is in a 20 peso coin?

Fifteen grams of pure gold, which is 0.4823 troy ounces. The coin says so itself: 15 Gr. ORO PURO.

What is a 1959-dated 20 peso?

Mexico’s mint struck 20 peso coins again from 1960 to 1971, and those 1,158,414 coins carry the date 1959. They are official Mexican issues with the same gold content as the 1917 to 1921 coins.

Can I choose the date?

No. The date comes from available stock, and the date is our pick. The photos show one example.

What does the edge say?

INDEPENDENCIA Y LIBERTAD, independence and liberty, lettered into a smooth edge rather than reeding.

Is the 20 peso still legal money in Mexico?

No. The coin has been demonetized, so it trades on its gold and its history rather than its 20 peso denomination.

Want more Mexican gold? Browse our Mexican Gold Coins.

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