Porfirio Díaz Medal. Festival de Caridad (1898)

The charity festivals brought Porfirian society together in benefit events to raise funds for hospitals, asylums and works of assistance. These events combined the social life of the elites with the duty to aid the needy.

This small gilded bronze medal of 1898 bears the effigy of Porfirio Diaz and commemorates one of these charitable festivals. The presence of the president or of his image lent prestige and official backing to these benefit initiatives.

The piece belongs to the figures category. It is testimony to how charity, social life and the cult of the presidential figure intertwined in the Mexico of the Porfiriato, in an era when assistance to the poor depended in large part on private initiative and on the elites.

The "Porfirio Díaz. Festival de Caridad" medal of 1898 is a small testament to the social life of the Porfiriato, struck to commemorate a charitable event during one of the most remembered periods in Mexican history. Its motif, tied to the figure of Porfirio Díaz, makes it especially appealing to collectors of the subject.

It is made of gilt bronze, measures 22.16 millimeters in diameter, and weighs 5.08 grams. Because it is a gilt bronze piece, its value comes not from the metal but from its commemorative nature: the event it celebrates, its age from the 1821-1910 era, and demand among those who collect this type of issue. Condition and rarity are what ultimately set the price.

How to identify and value this medal

1. Confirm the metal. It is gilt bronze; its value depends on the subject and the condition.
2. Read the legend and the motif. It commemorates "Porfirio Díaz. Festival de Caridad," which defines its historical interest.
3. Check the condition. No scratches or harsh cleaning, with natural patina.
4. Look for the case and the certificate if it had them: they add collector value.

For the collector, this piece is cataloged as Grove, Medals of México, II #P-120b. Explore more pieces in the Mexican numismatics catalog and learn to read the marks in the guide on how to identify Mexican mints.