Antigua Droguería de Palma Medal

This commercial medal comes from the Antigua Droguería de Palma, one of the businesses selling medicines, chemical products, and apothecary goods that operated in the Mexico of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Druggists' shops were key establishments before the modern pharmacy, and many commissioned tokens or medals for advertising purposes.

These commercial pieces functioned as advertising, a consumption voucher, or a simple brand keepsake. Today they are testimonies of an urban commercial fabric that has since disappeared and that numismatics helps reconstruct.

Cataloged by Grove among the commercial issues and struck in brass, it has no recorded year. Its interest lies in documenting a specific line of business, that of the apothecaries and druggists, within the mercantile history of Mexico City.

Brass trade token of the Antigua Droguería de la Palma, the establishment of Carlos Felix y Cª located at number 4 on Profesa street, in the Historic Center of Mexico City. It is not legal-tender coinage, but a commercial advertising piece, of the kind that pharmacies and drugstores handed out or used as a voucher in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

What it shows

One face carries the circular legend "ANTIGUA DROGUERIA DE LA PALMA" surrounding the owner's name and address: "CARLOS FELIX y Cª · 4 Profesa 4 · MÉXICO". The other face lists the line of business over several lines: "DROGAS · PRODs QUIMs · PERFUMERIA · MEDICINAS DE PATENTE". Both faces are finished with a star and a beaded border at the edge.

Context

The Droguería de la Palma was a real establishment in the Historic Center; its façade was documented in period photographic archives held by the INAH. Profesa street, named for the San Felipe Neri church, was home to a concentration of doctors, pharmacies, and drugstores in the 19th century, so the engraved address fits that pharmaceutical district.

Value and collecting

Since it is not official coinage, its price is set by condition, the metal, and interest in Mexican trade tokens, a niche much sought after for its local historical value. To compare offers, check the store directory and, if you want a second opinion on authenticity or price, ask in the forum.