Are Mexican coins ever found in circulation in the border states?

291fifth

Here in the Detroit area, Canadian coins, especially cents, are frequently seen in circulation. Do those of you who live in states that border Mexico ever encounter Mexican coins in circulation?

Just this past week I received a 1995 Australian 5 cent coin in circulation...it is dime size and color.

LALASD4

Yes, all the time. Even the casinos here accepts Peso.

Hyperion

shoot. go down to the southeast and you'll find spanish coins in the dirt

Woodwind

I've lived here in San Diego for over a year now after moving from the LA area where I lived for 15 years. My wife has lived in San Diego for 5 years. Neither of us have ever encountered Mexican coins in circulation. In fact, I've received some Canadian cents in change down here.

RichieURich

I hope all of you in the Southwest are on the lookout for the 1818 Jolas and also the 1817 Jolas which were struck but are unknown.

laserart

I live in a border state and we get all of the Canadian coins in our change. Now that there are so many state quarters circulating it's hard to spot them right off.

rays

Once or twice in 20 years of living in San Diego I have come across a Mexican coin in change. I got a SIngapore half dollar a few months ago, it was about the size of a quarter.

Coins101

When the city had parking meters (up here in Washington State), they would get Mexican 5 centavo coins all the time cause they were the same size as a nickel.

On the other side of the coin, I tried to spend a Canadian penny in Nevada one time and the clerk at the store said they don't take foreign money. I told her it wasn't foreign, it was from our northern state of British Columbia.

MadMarty

The old parking meters in Chicago would get Dominican Republic 25 centavos all the time. I get a lot of Mexico 1 pesos when I buy bags of Kennedys from the bank. Also got a 50 cent euro in a roll of quarters from the bank!

coynclecter

Although Mexican Pesos are used on this side of the border they are exchanged at less than favorable rates and are not of the same denominations. In the case of US and Canadian, they have dimes , quarters ets just like the US.

The reason Canadian money circulates in the US is because they get a 10% discount on every coin they can use of equal value in the US. My guess is that US coins, valued at a 10% premium disappear quickly when used in Canada.

291fifth

Several years back, when the Canadian dollar was down in the 55 cent US range, some small businesses in the Detroit area apparently started importing Canadian cents and giving large numbers of them out in change. This practice didn't last long as customers started objecting to all the Canadian cents they were getting.

Over the past 11 years or so I have saved all of the Canadian cents I've received in change. I now have about 550 of them.

ILikeMercs

Tucson, AZ here and I ain't seen one yet.

13PacesEast

coins from canadia in the US?

what would brian boitano do?

Man

NYC here, and I've found about 10-15 Mexican coins most in the last few years. Ranging from the 5 centavos to 10 pesos from 1968-2003.

Out of the close to 80 different countries of coins that I've found Canada is the most followed by Great Britain, Mexico and France.

SDSportsFan

I grew up in San Diego CA and in 22 years NEVER saw a Mexican coin. I've been in San Antonio TX for a total of 8 years and have also NEVER seen a Mexican coin. In 6 1/2 years in Great Falls MT however, I saw countless Canadian coins (quarters and below).


Steve

ElKevvo

I lived in El Paso Texas and never saw Mexican coins on the US side of the border. I never really thought about it but I suppose the value gap is so great that people are just more aware of what is in change that they are given.

K

Coxe

I have been in San Diego since the early 80s and have never gotten a Mexican or Latin American coin in my change. Find one on the the ground here or there though. Noone is stupid enough to accept them here. Tourists do the dumb thing of changing their money (laughably) in Tijuana and end up with Mexican pesos in their pockets. Silly souvenirs to go with pics of the kids on the painted burro.

clw54

I've lived in San Diego sixteen years and never got a Mexican coin in change.

Sporkadelic

Of course we see Canadian coins frequently here in NH, but I wasn't expecting the Dominican 25 centavos that showed up a few months back. It passes easily enough for a quarter, but it's worth a penny, or thereabouts.

Coins101

<< <i>Tourists do the dumb thing of changing their money (laughably) in Tijuana and end up with Mexican pesos in their pockets. Silly souvenirs to go with pics of the kids on the painted burro. >>



Hey, I exchange a US dollar for 3 pesos back in 1971. I think I still have them somewhere. Think they are worth anything?

Coxe

<< <i>

<< <i>Tourists do the dumb thing of changing their money (laughably) in Tijuana and end up with Mexican pesos in their pockets. Silly souvenirs to go with pics of the kids on the painted burro. >>



Hey, I exchange a US dollar for 3 pesos back in 1971. I think I still have them somewhere. Think they are worth anything? >>



The truly funny thing is that the Mexican merchants prefer dollars to pesos and give a better price in USD. But Ma and Pa Kettle from Jablip, Kansas will have none of that. When in Mexico, be like a Mexican .... well, one wearing a big sombrero and carrying a Berlitz Spanish guide and a velvet painting of Elvis Presley.

MORGANHUNTER2

muy bueno senor

mexican silver is ok

I'll use it to get my brekky burrito in the early mornin

Frankcoins

48 years in Texas, NEVER got a Mexican coin in change, but many Canadian cents, dimes and quarters.

LucyBop

I have never encounter a coin from Mexico in my New Mexico villages or towns....

Mustang5L5

Everytime i search bankrolls, i always find canadian coins. I think i have $15-20 in canadian money around here somewhere. One day i'll exchange it.

Coins101

<< <i>The truly funny thing is that the Mexican merchants prefer dollars to pesos and give a better price in USD. But Ma and Pa Kettle from Jablip, Kansas will have none of that. When in Mexico, be like a Mexican. >>



Well, maybe northern Mexico. When I was in Cancun (18 years ago), you had to exchange the US $ for Pesos. A lot of places would not take the US $. I remembered getting 3 pecos for a buck in 1971 while we were down there - in Cancun, we got something like 1700 for a buck. Talk about a good investment!!!

That was the other funny thing in 1971. We were in Mexicali and the merchant had to look all over to find the 3 pesos. They were all using US $$ as their currency. But, being a coin collector, I had to have some pesos (coins).

dtkk49a

The only Mexican coins I have are the ones my daughter has brought back from her spring break trips.

Man

Wow I'm shocked 3 out of 23 people have found Mexican coins in there change.

Also shocked that people reject your foriegn coins. I've been both in front and behind the counter at supermarkets and I never rejected foriegn coins or have them rejected if I passed them on.

KoinDawg

I got a Mexican coin in a roll of US Nickels a while back and I live in Mississippi.

Conder101

The reason you don't see mexican coins in change is the huge difference in value.

US has dollars, Canada has dollars, Mexico has pesos. A Canadian dollar is worth better than 80% of a US dollar, the loss taking Canadian is small. A Mexican Peso is worth about 8% of the US dollar and falling. As mentioned earlier in 1971 it took three pesos to buy a dollar. 18 years ago (1988) it took 1,700 pesos to buy a dollar. In 1992 it took 3,000 pesos to buy a dollar. They had a currency revaluation that year 1000 old peso = 1 new peso. That brought it back to about 3 new pesos buying one dollar. Today it takes 11 of those new pesos (or 11,000 of those old 1971 pesos) to buy a dollar.

Here in this country we camplain about the possibility of losing the cent. In Mexico the SMALLEST coin is their basic unit, the Peso and it is close in value to our dime (It is a small copper coin). And they will probably be losing that soon making the 2 peso the smallest coin.

coynclecter

Talk about inflation. In 1947, 60 years ago, 50 pesos was about 1.2 oz of gold or about $800 todays value. Thats a move from $16 per peso down to 11000 pesos per dollar.

A little idea about what happens to currency thats not backed by anything. A good idea where the dollar is headed.

TCoins

I lived in Texas (Lubbock) for a year a never saw any Mexican coins, but would still see the occassional Canadian penny.

lkenefic

I lived in Tempe from '84 to '87 and Tucson '87 to '95 and the only time I ever got Pesos in change was on a visit to Nogales Sonora. I'm now in Flagstaff and have never gotten Mexican currency in change.

librtyhead

Mostly Canadian.............but I have seen Bermuda coins quite a few times for some reason.

Coxe

<< <i>Here in this country we camplain about the possibility of losing the cent. In Mexico the SMALLEST coin is their basic unit, the Peso and it is close in value to our dime (It is a small copper coin). And they will probably be losing that soon making the 2 peso the smallest coin. >>



Very good point I had not thought about. There must be some other countries facing bigger problems than our one cent one with rising metal prices.

karpman9

I've lived in Arizona since 1988 with 5 years in Tucson (closer to Mexico than Scottsdale) and I have never encountered a Mexican coin in circulation.

I have encountered Canadian coins and currency in circulation off and on. I think that occurrs because many older couples from Canada spend the winter in Arizona and the public perception of value is somewhat close to the US $.

Best regards,