Guadalajara. El Consulado Medal (1822)

A proclamation and oath piece of the Empire of Agustin I, struck in Guadalajara in 1822 on commission from the Consulado, the merchants' guild that regulated the region's commerce. It bears the signature of the engraver V. Medina.

The year 1822 was one of euphoria and hope: with Independence achieved, Iturbide led the project of a Mexican monarchy. Cities, guilds, and consulados commissioned medals to swear loyalty to the emperor and to record the ceremonies.

Consulados like Guadalajara's concentrated much of the local economic power; that they themselves financed a medal reveals how much commerce weighed in the life of that newly born Mexico. These pieces bind numismatics, politics, and commerce into a single object.

The "Guadalajara. El Consulado" medal is a silver piece struck in 1822, in the first months of independent Mexico, commemorating the influential Consulado de Guadalajara. Engraved by V. Medina F., it combines the symbolic weight of its historical theme with the appeal of Mexican silverwork of the era.

Made of silver, it measures 39 millimeters in diameter and weighs 27.24 grams. Because it is a silver medal, its value starts from a clear floor: the precious-metal content. Above that, what drives it up is condition, the small size of the issue, and interest in the subject it commemorates. A piece with no wear, natural patina, and its original case is worth quite a bit more than one that has been handled or aggressively cleaned.

To value it, it helps to confirm the metal and weigh it to estimate its fine-silver content, read the legend and motif that define its historical interest, check that it has no scratches or aggressive cleaning, and look for the case and certificate if it had them, since they add collector value. In specialized catalogs, this medal is referenced as Grove, Medals of México, II #29a. Explore more pieces in the Mexican numismatics catalog and learn to read the marks in the guide on how to identify Mexican mints.