Mexican Silver Libertad Coins

Silver Libertads - inspired by the iconic Centenario gold coins

Mexican Silver Libertad coins are minted by the oldest mint in North America. The Mexican Mint ("La Casa de Moneda de México") produces them since 1982 but their iconic design that shows the Angel of Independence actually goes back to the historic 50 Peso Gold Centenario coins. All Silver Libertad coins are 99.9% pure, just like the Mexican Gold Libertads that show the same design.

The coins are offered with brilliant uncirculated and proof (as well as reverse proof) finishes in many different sizes ranging from 1/20 oz all the way up to 1 kg. Since 2018, the three coin denominations of 1 oz, 2 oz and 5 oz are also available in limited numbers with a special antiqued finish which gives the coins an aged look. Unlike most other contemporary silver coins, Mexican Silver Libertads don't have an official face value. Annual mintage numbers for the silver version of the Mexican Libertad coins are far higher than for the gold version. A considerable part of the Silver Libertad's annual mintage is made up by proof coins. Collectors that prefer to buy silver coins with a proof finish will therefore find proof Silver Libertads more readily available than proof versions of other silver bullion coins.

The silver purity and weight of each Silver Libertad coin is guaranteed by the Banco de México. Even though the coins don't have an official face value, they have legal tender status in Mexico with their value tied to the current spot price of silver. American buyers that are investing in silver for their retirement can include the coins in their Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA's).

obverse side of the 2011 issue of the brilliant uncirculated 1 oz Silver Libertads

reverse side of the 2011 issue of the brilliant uncirculated 1 oz Mexican Silver Libertad coins

1 oz BU Mexican Silver Libertad 2011

obverse side of the 2020 issue of the brilliant uncirculated 1/2 oz Silver Libertads

reverse side of the 2020 issue of the brilliant uncirculated 1/2 oz Mexican Silver Libertad coins

1/2 oz BU Mexican Silver Libertad 2020

Coin Specifications

Weight	Purity	Diameter x Thickness
1 kg	99.9%	110 x 11.5 mm
5 oz	99.9%	65 x 5.4 mm
2 oz	99.9%	48 x 4.5 mm
1 oz	99.9%	40 x 3 mm*
1/2 oz	99.9%	33 x 2.6 mm
1/4 oz	99.9%	27 x 1.7 mm
1/10 oz	99.9%	20 x 1.4 mm
1/20 oz	99.9%	16 x 1 mm

* since 1996 (36 x 4 mm until 1995)

Silver Libertad Coin Design

old obverse side design of the Mexican Libertad silver coins until 1995

The monument "El Ángel de la Independencia" (a.k.a. "Monumento a la Independencia") is a victory column in downtown Mexico City. This depiction of the Angel of Independence is shown on the obverse side of each Mexican Silver Libertad coin with a laurel wreath in her right hand and broken chains in her left. The coin's weight, silver purity and year of mintage are engraved along with the word "Mexico" and the official mint mark.

Since 1996, the Mexican Silver Libertad's obverse side bears a slightly different design in which the angel faces sideways and the engraving of "Mexico" is omitted. The two famous Mexican volcanoes Popocatepetl and Iztaccíhuatl are depicted in both versions in the background.

The standard reverse design of the Mexican Libertad silver coin depicts a rendering of Mexico's coat of arms with an eagle perched on top of a prickly pear cactus holding a serpent in its talons and beak. The words "Estados Unidos Mexicanos" are inscribed along the coin's upper edge.

Since the year 2000, the 1 oz Silver Mexican Libertad depicts the official Mexican coat of arms surrounded by 10 additional historical coats of arms on its reverse side. This is also the reverse design that appears on the 2 oz, 5 oz and 1 kg coins.

History of the Mexican Silver Libertads

$reverse side design of the 1 oz Mexican Silver Libertads until 1999, still used on the fractional coins today$

The Mexican Mint ("La Casa de Moneda de México") started with the production of 99.9% fine 1 oz Silver Libertad coins in 1982 (proof coins since 1983 with the exception of 1984 and 1985). In 1991, coins of 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz and 1/20 oz were added (with proof finish since 1992). Larger silver coins of 2 oz and 5 oz are produced since 1996 and 1 kg coins since 2008. The 1 kg coins exist in three different variations (brilliant uncirculated, proof-like and high relief proof-like).

The design of the coin's obverse changed slightly in the year 1996 with the Angel of Independence facing sideways since then (and the removal of the word MEXICO from the obverse).

The reverse side design of the 1 oz Silver Mexican Libertads changed in the year 2000. Since then, the reverse is filled out by a depiction of Mexico's official coat of arms surrounded by 10 additional historical coats of arms.

That is only the case for the 1 oz coins though. The fractional denominations still show the image of the eagle perching on top of a prickly pear cactus. The larger 2 oz and 5 oz coins already used the new reverse design since their first issue in 1996. The 1 kg silver coin also uses that design with the various Mexican coats of arms.

Mintage Numbers

The mintage record for 1 oz Mexican Silver Libertad coins were the 2,458,000 coins that were struck in 1992. The lowest mintage of the 1 oz coins were the 67,000 coins that were minted in 1998. Fractional Libertad coins were generally minted in much smaller numbers than the 1 oz coins. The lowest mintage were the 3,300 coins of 1/10 oz that were produced in 2012.

Proof mintage of the Mexican Silver Libertads is generally much higher than is common with other bullion coins. The lowest proof mintage of 1 oz Silver Libertads were 500 coins in 1998. That same year also saw the lowest mintage of fractional proof Silver Mexican Libertads (300 coins each of 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz and 1/20 oz). The lowest mintage numbers for the proof 2 oz and 5 oz Silver Libertad were set in 1999 (280 coins of 2 oz and 100 coins of 5 oz). The proof version of the Mexican Libertad silver coins was only minted in the 1 oz denomination in 2012 (4,200 coins minted).

BU Silver Libertad Coins

mintage figures as best could be ascertained

	1/20 oz	1/10 oz	1/4 oz	1/2 oz	1 oz	2 oz	5 oz	1 kg
1982					1,050,000
1983					1,002,200
1984					1,014,000
1985					2,017,000
1986					1,699,426
1987					500,000
1988					1,500,500
1989					1,396,500
1990					1,200,000
1991	50,017	50,017	50,017	50,618	1,650,518
1992	295,783	299,933	104,000	119,000	2,458,000
1993	100,000	100,000	90,500	90,500	1,000,000
1994	90,100	90,100	90,100	90,100	400,000
1995	50,000	50,000	50,000	50,000	500,000
1996	50,000	50,000	50,000	50,000	300,000	50,000	20,000
1997	20,000	20,000	20,000	20,000	100,000	15,000	10,000
1998	6,400	6,400	6,400	6,400	67,000	7,000	2,300
1999	8,001	8,000	7,000	7,000	95,000	5,000	2,800
2000	57,500	27,500	21,000	20,000	340,000	7,500	4,000
2001	25,000	25,000	25,000	20,000	725,000	6,700	4,000
2002	45,000	35,000	35,000	35,000	850,000	8,700	5,200
2003	50,000	20,000	22,000	28,000	805,000	9,500	6,000
2004	30,000	15,000	15,000	20,000	450,000	8,000	3,923
2005	15,000	9,277	15,000	10,000	698,281	3,549	2,401
2006	20,000	15,000	15,000	15,000	300,000	5,800	3,000
2007	3,500	3,500	3,500	3,500	200,000	8,000	3,000
2008	7,000	10,000	9,000	9,000	950,000	17,000	9,000	2,003
2009	10,000	10,000	10,000	10,000	1,650,000	46,000	21,000	4,000
2010	12,000	12,000	15,500	20,000	1,000,000	14,000	9,500	4,000
2011	15,000	15,000	15,000	30,000	1,200,000	14,000	10,000	6,000
2012	none	3,300	16,700	17,000	746,400	18,600	10,400	2,300
2013	13,500	18,900	9,600	24,500	774,100	17,400	9,500
2014	5,700	6,350	6,950	23,000	429,200	9,000	6,400
2015	18,400	19,900	17,900	16,000	903,000	20,100	9,500	2,000
2016	22,900	24,400	17,700	30,900	1,437,500	17,600	11,400	2,000
2017	8,550	8,850	8,100	9,050	636,000	8,900	5,050	200
2018	17,900	20,300	18,000	15,500	300,000	20,400	16,600	500
2019	7,350	7,200	5,450	8,500	402,000	18,300	18,000	200
2020	5,450	6,100	4,450	7,600	300,000	5,500	8,900	500

Mexican Silver Libertad Proof Coins

	1/20 oz	1/10 oz	1/4 oz	1/2 oz	1 oz	2 oz	5 oz
1983					998
1986					30,006
1987					12,000
1988					10,000
1989					10,000
1990					10,000
1991					10,000
1992	5,000	5,000	5,000	5,000	10,000
1993	5,002	5,002	5,002	5,002	5,002
1994	5,002	5,002	5,002	5,002	5,002
1995	2,000	2,000	2,000	2,000	2,000
1996	1,000	1,000	1,000	1,000	2,000	1,200	1,200
1997	800	800	800	800	1,500	1,300	1,300
1998	300	300	300	2,500	500	400	400
1999	600	600	600	600	600	280	100
2000	900	1,000	700	700	1,600	500	500
2001	1,500	1,500	1,000	1,000	2,000	500	600
2002	2,800	2,800	2,800	2,800	3,800	1,000	1,000
2003	4,400	4,900	3,900	3,400	5,400	800	1,500
2004	2,700	2,500	2,500	2,500	3,000	1,000	800
2005	2,600	3,000	2,400	2,800	3,300	600	1,000
2006	3,300	3,000	2,900	2,900	4,000	1,100	700
2007	4,000	4,000	3,000	1,500	5,800	500	500
2008	3,300	5,000	2,900	2,500	11,000	1,000	900
2009	5,000	5,000	3,000	3,000	10,000	6,200	5,000
2010	10,000	10,000	5,000	5,000	10,000	1,300	2,000
2011	10,000	10,000	5,000	5,000	10,000	1,000	2,000
2012	0	0	0	0	4,200	0	0
2013	4,200	4,100	3,200	3,000	9,100	1,300	1,600
2014	1,850	1,950	1,700	1,750	4,700	750	800
2015	5,500	5,300	2,400	2,500	6,400	1,300	1,600
2016	12,550	12,650	9,550	13,150	13,250	3,950	2,750
2017	9,050	7,850	4,850	12,750	8,650	3,050	2,350
2018	7,900	6,500	5,000	7,000	10,000	5,000	5,000
2019	3,000	3,600	2,850	2,000	5,500	2,750	2,500
2020	2,800	3,450	2,700	2,000	5,850	2,800	2,950

obverse side of the 2009 issue of the brilliant uncirculated 1 oz Gold Libertads

reverse side of the 2009 issue of the brilliant uncirculated 1 oz Mexican Gold Libertad coins

Mexican Gold Libertads

The Mexican Gold Libertad coins are struck out of 99.9% pure gold since 1981. Their design that depicts the Angel of Independence is inspired by the historic Mexican Centenario gold coins. The Gold Libertads are minted by the Casa de Moneda de México, the oldest mint in North America, in the denominations of 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz and 1/20 oz. Both brilliant uncirculated and proof coins are available. The coins don't have an official face value and their annual mintage numbers are much lower than those of other gold bullion coins. Despite that, the coins have legal tender status in Mexico.

The Mexican Gold Libertad page gives more information about the coins and allows you to compare current prices.

Mexican Platinum Libertad

The Mexican Platinum Libertad was only minted in the year 1989. That year, the Casa de Moneda de México produced 3,500 Platinum Libertads out of 99.9% fine platinum. Mintage was limited to a single denomination of 1/4 oz. These coins were only available with a proof finish. The design of both sides of the coins was identical to the gold and silver version of the Libertad coins that was minted until 1994.

The inscription on the mintmarked obverse side of the coins with the Angel of Independence reads: 1/4 ONZA PLATINO PURO 1989 MEXICO LEY 999.

Silver Libertad Proof Sets

APMEX exclusive 2-Coin Proof/Reverse Proof Silver Libertad Set 2019

APMEX exclusive 2-Coin Set since 2015

total silver weight: 2 oz

The Banco de México has partnered with the precious metals dealer APMEX to release this special 2-coin set since 2015. It includes two Mexican Silver Libertad coins, one with a proof and the other with a reverse proof finish. The coins are packaged in a wooden box with a certificate of authenticity. Only 500 such sets were issued in 2015, followed by 1,000 sets in 2016 and again only 500 sets in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

2-Coin Reverse Proof Silver Libertad Set 2019

2-Coin Reverse Proof Set since 2018

total silver weight: 7 oz

This set was first issued in 2018. It includes both the 2 oz and 5 oz reverse proof Silver Libertad coins from the year of issue. The wooden display box that features the Banco de México logo further includes a miniature statue of the Angel of Independence (a.k.a. Winged Victory) as well as a numbered certificate of authenticity. Whereas 500 such sets were issued in 2018, only 250 sets were then issued the following year.

2016 Mexican Silver Libertad 5-coin proof set

5-Coin Silver Libertad Proof Set

total silver weight: 1.9 oz

This set includes the Silver Mexican Libertad proof coins of 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz and 1/20 oz. The coins were at first packaged in a plastic box. In recent years, they were stored in a beautiful wooden box though with a numbered certificate of authenticity. Five-coin proof sets have been issued since 1992. Only 1,000 such sets are issued annually at this time.