Puebla Medal. Asilo de Caridad (1888)

The Asilo de Caridad of Puebla belongs to the long Mexican tradition of charitable institutions that cared for orphans, the elderly and the destitute. In the 19th century, with the State still weak in social matters, these works depended on private charity, the Church and ladies' committees.

This 1888 brass medal was struck to commemorate or support a Puebla asylum, at the height of the Porfiriato. Puebla was one of the country's most important and devout cities, with strong charitable and religious activity.

Charity medals were awarded to benefactors or sold to raise funds. They are testimony to how Mexican society organized aid to those most in need before the creation of public welfare institutions.

The "Puebla. Asilo de Caridad" (Puebla. Charity Asylum) medal is a testament to nineteenth-century Puebla charity, struck in 1888 to honor one of the city's charitable institutions. Pieces like this tell the social history of the Mexico of the era, when asylums and hospices were sustained by civic solidarity.

It is made of brass, measures 25.55 millimeters in diameter, and weighs 6.93 grams. As a brass medal, its value comes not from the metal but from what it commemorates: the event it celebrates, its age within the 1821-1910 period, 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 a natural patina, and considering the case or certificate if it kept them.

Explore more pieces in the Mexican numismatics catalog and learn to read the marks in the guide on how to identify Mexican mints. For the collector, this medal is cataloged as Grove, Medals of México, II #251b.