Duboille e Hijos Medal

This commercial medal belongs to the firm Duboille e Hijos, one of the French-named establishments that operated in Mexico in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The surname reveals the strong presence of French merchants in the country's commercial life during the Porfiriato.

Like other pieces of its kind, it served as advertising, a token, or a badge of the firm. Businesses of the era used these metal tokens to promote themselves and build customer loyalty in an expanding urban economy.

Cataloged by Grove among the commercial issues and struck in brass, it has no recorded year. Its interest lies in documenting the network of French-origin businesses that shaped the consumption and taste of Mexican society in those years.

The "Duboille e Hijos" medal is a Mexican commemorative piece that belonged to an era of great commercial activity and private celebrations, when houses and firms commissioned medals to leave a record of their achievements. Struck in brass, with a diameter of 23.66 millimeters and a weight of 8.34 grams, it is one of those pieces that draw collectors for their history rather than for their metal.

In a brass medal, value comes not from the metal content but from what it commemorates: the event it celebrates, its age, corresponding to the 1821-1910 era, and demand among those who collect this theme. Condition and the rarity of the issue are what really set the price. To value it, it helps to confirm that it is brass, read the legend and the motif that identify it carefully, check that it has no scratches or harsh cleaning and that it retains its natural patina, and look for the case or certificate if it ever came with them, since they add collector value.

You can explore more pieces in the Mexican numismatics catalog and learn to read the marks in the how to identify Mexican mints guide. Its catalog reference is Grove, Medals of México, II #B-131b.