Year of Mexico-Philippines Friendship Medal (1963)

This silver medal commemorates the Year of Mexico-Philippines Friendship of 1963, a tribute to the historic ties between the two countries, joined by centuries of contact through the Manila Galleon during the viceregal era.

For nearly two and a half centuries, the Manila Galleon connected Acapulco with the Philippines, then under New Spain's administration, in one of the most important trade routes in history. That exchange left a deep mark on the culture, cuisine and language of both nations.

Cataloged by Grove as 864a, this silver piece celebrates that old transpacific kinship. Friendship medals between countries served to reinforce diplomatic and cultural ties. The minting of these commemorative issues fell to the Mexican Mint.

What it shows

The reverse, the side people look for, carries a Spanish galleon in full sail over the waves, with the legend engraved MIGUEL LOPEZ DE LEGASPI arched above and the dates 1563 · 1963 at the foot. The obverse joins two coats of arms: that of the Philippines, with its three stars and the sun, fused with the Mexican eagle devouring the serpent atop the nopal. Around it reads AÑO DE LA AMISTAD, the date 1963, and the legend MÉXICO·FILIPINAS.

Context

The medal commemorates the fourth centenary of the expedition of Miguel López de Legazpi, who was appointed in Mexico City in 1563 and set sail for the Philippines at the head of an armada organized in New Spain. That voyage opened the route of the Manila Galleon and bound Mexico to the archipelago for centuries. In 1963, on the 400th anniversary, both countries celebrated that shared history under the banner of friendship.

Value and collecting

It is a commemorative medal, not legal tender, so it had no face value and did not circulate as money. Its price is set by the silvered metal, condition, and how sharp the galleon and the coats of arms appear. If you want to know what people pay for it today, compare real references in the store directory and settle authenticity questions with other collectors in the forum.