Nicolás Bravo Medal (1886)

Nicolas Bravo (1786-1854) was a key figure of Independence and of the early decades of independent Mexico. A distinguished insurgent, famous for sparing the lives of royalist prisoners, he came to hold the presidency of the Republic on several occasions during the turbulent first half of the 19th century.

This 1886 tin medal commemorates him within the Porfirian cult of the national heroes. During the Porfiriato, Porfirio Diaz promoted the memory of the heroes of Independence as a foundation of national identity and of the legitimacy of his own regime.

The piece belongs to the category of figures medals. Struck in tin, a more modest metal, it shows that these commemorations were also made accessible to a broad public.

The Nicolás Bravo medal, struck in 1886, honors one of the great leaders of Mexico's Independence. It belongs to that series of commemorative pieces that, in nineteenth-century Mexico, served to keep alive the memory of the heroes who forged the country.

It is made of tin, measures 34.37 millimeters in diameter and weighs 10.79 grams. In medals like this, the value comes not from the metal but from what they celebrate: the honored figure, its age within the 1821-1910 era, and demand among collectors of the subject. Condition and the rarity of the issue are what set the price, so it is worth seeking examples with no scratches or harsh cleaning, with natural patina, and appraising the case or certificate if it ever had them.

For the collector, this medal is cataloged as Grove, Medals of México, II #P-31b. Explore more pieces in the Mexican numismatics catalog and learn to read the marks in the guide on how to identify Mexican mints.