Aurelio López Núñez Medal (1959)

This medal, from the commercial chapter, bears the name of Aurelio Lopez Nunez and dates to 1959. It corresponds to the type of recognition or keepsake pieces tied to individuals within the business or commercial sphere of the era.

Commercial medals were usually struck on private commission, whether to honor a founder, celebrate a career, or record a business event. They reflect the everyday life of commerce and industry in mid-twentieth-century Mexico, when such pieces served as a distinction or gift.

Catalogued by Grove as B-105b, it falls under the heading of commercial medals, harder to document than patriotic commemorations because they answered to private interests. This kind of striking was carried out in medal workshops in the capital that filled orders from companies and individuals.

What it shows

The reverse, the main face, bears the bust of an older man with glasses surrounded by the legend "50 AÑOS EN LA INDUSTRIA DEL CALZADO," the dates "1909" and "1959," and the name "AURELIO LOPEZ NUÑEZ" at the base. The obverse is dominated by a tower of the Guadalajara Cathedral and the engraved text "GUADALAJARA MÉXICO / CUNA DEL / CALZADO CANADA / LA MAS IMPORTANTE / INDUSTRIA DEL RAMO / EN LATINO AMÉRICA."

Context

It is a commemorative piece struck in 1959 for the half-century (1909-1959) of the shoe company Calzado Canadá, based in Guadalajara, Jalisco. The medal honors Aurelio López Núñez as a figure tied to that Guadalajara footwear industry and touts the city as the "cradle" of the trade in the region. It is not legal-tender coinage or an official Banxico issue, but a corporate anniversary keepsake.

Value and collecting

Being a private medal, its value depends not on a denomination but on condition and the metal. Examples with crisp relief and no pitting command more. To compare buying and selling prices, check the shops directory, and if you want a second opinion on authenticity or rarity, raise it in the forum.