1935 Mexico 10 Centavos

The 1935 Mexican 10 Centavos was struck from 0.720 fine silver, a material choice that reflected the country's mining wealth even as global depression eroded its value for small change.

Weighing in at 2.67 grams and measuring 17 millimeters across, this coin featured the familiar eagle perched on a cactus, devouring a serpent—a design rooted in Aztec symbolism but standardized by the early 20th century. It circulated as legal tender for everyday buys, from tortillas to train tickets, during President Lázaro Cárdenas's reforms.

No one knows the exact mintage; records from that era are spotty, likely lost to bureaucratic shifts. What we do know is that its silver made it prone to melting for profit, thinning its numbers over time.

Finding one today might remind you that not every coin is a relic—some were just loose change that outlasted the economy that spawned it.