Radiant Phrygian liberty cap ("Cap and Rays"), replicating the historic Mexican peso design struck 1910–1945. An oak-and-laurel wreath occupies the lower field. The legend reads "VIVA MEXICO 1987" beneath the rays, with "LIBERTAD" banded across the base of the cap.
Mexican eagle-and-serpent coat of arms at center, framed by decorative scrollwork. The legend "UNA ONZA LEY .999 PLATA PURA" encircles the design at the top rim, with the "TIM" mint mark struck at lower right.
Struck "TIM" mint mark on reverse attributes this round to American Medallion Corporation's Texas International Mint production window (1986–early 1987), prior to the company's transition to AMC branding. No distributor or issuer beyond AMC/TIM itself has been documented. Secondary dealer sourcing is internally inconsistent on manufacturer attribution for this design; the struck mark on the physical example takes precedence.
This 1987 Viva Mexico Cap and Rays round has a long, active sales history stretching back to 2009, with strong recent demand.
| Date | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 24, 2026 | 91.00 | Most Recent |
| Dec 13, 2025 | 100.00 | |
| May 11, 2025 | 65.00 | |
| Mar 12, 2025 | 33.00 | |
| Sep 20, 2024 | 44.95 | |
| Aug 8, 2024 | 50.00 | Derived: 3-coin lot spanning 1987-1991 ($150.00) / 3 - not confirmed single-year identical, included per Tex's call |
| Jul 27, 2023 | 149.99 | Highest Ever |
| Jul 9, 2023 | 27.00 | |
| Jun 4, 2023 | 71.00 | |
| May 5, 2023 | 48.00 | |
| Dec 1, 2022 | 99.95 | |
| Oct 20, 2022 | 100.00 | |
| May 28, 2022 | 59.95 | |
| Apr 18, 2022 | 60.00 | |
| Apr 11, 2022 | 31.12 | |
| Jun 24, 2021 | 71.99 | |
| Mar 13, 2021 | 50.00 | |
| Feb 12, 2021 | 39.99 | |
| Sep 19, 2020 | 28.00 | |
| Sep 14, 2020 | 32.00 | |
| Sep 9, 2020 | 37.00 | |
| Apr 10, 2020 | 20.00 | |
| Mar 18, 2020 | 29.69 | |
| Feb 27, 2020 | 20.99 | |
| Jan 4, 2020 | 27.00 | |
| Dec 21, 2019 | 24.95 | |
| Jul 18, 2019 | 31.00 | |
| Jun 25, 2019 | 40.00 | |
| May 2, 2019 | 18.00 | |
| Apr 10, 2019 | 24.95 | |
| Feb 26, 2019 | 26.75 | |
| Oct 13, 2018 | 29.99 | |
| Sep 12, 2018 | 19.00 | |
| Oct 1, 2017 | 25.49 | |
| Jul 10, 2017 | 30.00 | |
| Nov 18, 2016 | 22.50 | |
| Nov 1, 2016 | 49.99 | |
| Oct 24, 2016 | 30.55 | |
| Apr 30, 2016 | 27.50 | |
| Feb 19, 2016 | 19.50 | |
| Jan 17, 2016 | 23.00 | |
| Jan 13, 2016 | 20.00 | Derived: confirmed 6-coin identical lot ($120.00) / 6 |
| Jan 9, 2016 | 23.00 | |
| Dec 30, 2015 | 23.00 | |
| Dec 29, 2015 | 23.00 | |
| Jul 31, 2015 | 22.50 | |
| Jun 4, 2015 | 31.00 | |
| Aug 28, 2014 | 29.50 | |
| Aug 17, 2014 | 26.00 | |
| Jul 21, 2014 | 28.50 | |
| Jul 12, 2014 | 32.50 | |
| Nov 10, 2013 | 49.99 | |
| Apr 5, 2013 | 30.00 | |
| Oct 25, 2011 | 50.00 | |
| Aug 22, 2010 | 24.00 | |
| Jul 12, 2009 | 26.50 |
Scroll for full 56-sale history ↓
1987 Viva Mexico Cap and Rays TIM Overview
The 1987 Viva Mexico Cap and Rays TIM Silver Round is a 1 troy ounce .999 fine silver piece struck by American Medallion Corporation (AMC) of Houston, Texas, during the company’s earlier Texas International Mint (TIM) production era. Rather than echoing Mexico’s modern post-1982 Libertad statue design, this round reaches further back into Mexican numismatic history, replicating the “Cap and Rays” motif found on Mexican peso coinage struck between 1910 and 1945 — a radiant Phrygian liberty cap, symbol of freedom since the country’s War of Independence, set above an oak-and-laurel wreath and framed by the words “VIVA MEXICO 1987.”
The design pairs that historic obverse with a reverse centered on the Mexican eagle-and-serpent coat of arms, encircled by “UNA ONZA LEY .999 PLATA PURA” and decorative scrollwork. It is one of several Mexican-themed replica rounds TIM produced in 1987 as part of a small thematic series that also included the previously catalogued 1987 Viva Mexico TIM Silver Round (which pairs the same eagle-and-serpent device with the modern Angel of Independence/Centenario-style reverse) and a companion Caballito-design piece. Each round in the series depicts a different chapter of Mexican independence iconography while sharing the same “VIVA MEXICO 1987” branding and TIM mint mark convention.
The company itself operated under the Texas International Mint name only briefly, through 1986 and into early 1987, before adopting the American Medallion Corporation banner it would carry for the remainder of its output. Rounds struck during this earlier window carry the “TIM” mark rather than the “AMC” mark used on the mint’s later production, placing this piece among AMC’s earliest documented issues.
1987 Viva Mexico Cap and Rays TIM Attribution
The reverse of this round carries a struck “TIM” mark, placing manufacture squarely within AMC’s brief Texas International Mint period of 1986–early 1987, ahead of the company’s transition to its better-known AMC branding later that year. No packaging, licensing credit, or distributor mark has been located on this piece, consistent with in-house TIM/AMC bullion output produced without a third-party issuer.
Secondary-market description of this design has been inconsistent. One dealer listing credits AMC/TIM as manufacturer outright, correctly noting the historic 1910–1945 Mexican peso design this round replicates, while a separate listing for the same piece hedges the mint attribution to “unknown, possibly produced in Mexico” despite describing the same struck TIM mark in its own reverse description. Per this site’s evidentiary standard, the struck mark on the coin itself — corroborated against the documented example examined for this entry — takes precedence over that dealer hedge, and the mint is attributed to AMC/TIM with confidence.
1987 Viva Mexico Cap and Rays TIM Notes
- Obverse replicates the historic “Cap and Rays” design found on Mexican peso coinage struck 1910–1945, distinct from the modern Libertad statue design used on the companion 1987 Viva Mexico TIM Silver Round.
- Part of a small 1987 “Viva Mexico” thematic series produced by TIM, alongside Libertad- and Caballito-design 1 oz rounds.
- No mintage figures or original issue price have been located; the round is considered scarce in the secondary market.
- Bears the “TIM” mint mark rather than “AMC,” dating the piece to the company’s brief 1986–early 1987 Texas International Mint period.
- Design and obverse/reverse are entirely distinct from the companion Libertad/Angel-of-Independence entry in the same series — no shared die, so no Alternate Reverse relationship exists between the two.
1987 Viva Mexico Cap and Rays TIM References
- Texas International Mint / American Medallion Corporation (AMC) company history and mint-mark chronology — secondary-market research, agroundworld.com
- Comparable “Viva Mexico” 1987 series listings (Sun/Cap and Rays design) — agroundworld.com
- Documented example examined (this entry)
- Texas Stacker Archives
