Casa de Moneda de México Medal. Legaria Anniversary (1990)

This medal commemorates an anniversary of the Mexico Mint tied to its Legaria plant, in Mexico City. The oldest mint in the Americas, founded in 1535, modernized its facilities throughout the twentieth century, and the Legaria site was one of its production centers in the capital.

Marking an anniversary of these facilities left a record of the industrial continuity of the institution charged with striking Mexican currency.

Worked in silver and of a good module, this 1990 issue belongs to the institutional medals that the Mint itself produced to spread its history and to present to collectors and authorities.

What it shows

The reverse, the main face, brings together two icons on the metal: the silhouette of the Statue of Liberty set against the Aztec Sun Stone. The motif is surrounded by the legend MÉXICO ESPLENDOR DE 30 SIGLOS, and above it the seal of the Numismatic Collection of the Banco de México. The obverse carries a large "20" with a rising sun over a pyramid and its causeway; around it reads LOS TRABAJADORES DE LA C.M.: EXPORTANDO PARA MÉXICO, with the center engraved ANIVERSARIO LEGARIA 1990 and the Mo mint mark.

Context

The Mint moved its plant to Legaria avenue, in Mexico City, in 1970. The piece celebrates the 20th anniversary of that location in 1990, made by its own workers. The nod to the Statue of Liberty and the "30 centuries" links to the exhibition México: Esplendores de Treinta Siglos, which that same year brought Mexican art to the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

Value and collecting

It is not legal-tender currency but a commemorative medal struck in silver. Its price is set by the state of preservation and the metal content of the moment, not by a face value. To buy or sell, check the options in /tiendas and share your example with other collectors in the /foro.