2nd Inter-American Accounting Conference Medal (1951)

This medal in gold commemorates the 2nd Inter-American Accounting Conference, held in 1951. These gatherings brought together accountants and finance professionals from across the continent to harmonize the criteria and standards of a discipline in full development.

The Mexico of those years, in the midst of the industrial expansion of the Mexican miracle, was a natural host for technical and professional congresses of hemispheric scope. Accounting was gaining weight as an organized profession, with increasingly solid colleges and associations.

Striking a gold medal for a gathering of this kind spoke to the prestige they wanted to give the event and to the era's custom of leaving a physical record of these forums. Commemorative pieces from international congresses usually came out of the Mexican Mint or from medal workshops in the capital.

What it shows

The reverse, the side almost everyone looks for, carries the legend engraved on a smooth field: SEGUNDA CONFERENCIA INTERAMERICANA DE CONTABILIDAD EN LA CIUDAD DE MÉXICO 1951, surrounded by a border of pearls. The obverse reproduces the motif of the Sun Stone, the so-called Aztec calendar, with a circular legend reading I.C.P.T.M - I.C.P.M. at the top and MÉXICO at the bottom. Those initials refer to the Instituto de Contadores Públicos de México, the professional body behind the gathering.

Context

The Second Inter-American Accounting Conference was held in Mexico City in 1951, bringing together accountants from across the continent. This piece is a commemorative medal of that congress, not a circulating coin, and it is part of the Numismatic Collection of the Bank of Mexico.

Value and collecting

It is not legal tender, so its value comes not from a denomination but from the gold and the state of preservation. In a small piece like this one, at 25.42 g and 31.03 mm, the metal and the absence of dings or aggressive cleaning are what matter. If you want to appraise yours or compare it, stop by the forum, and if you are looking to buy or sell check the shops directory.