Real de Angangueo Medal (1809)

This 1809 medal, engraved by Francisco Gordillo, commemorates the proclamation of Fernando VII in the Real de Angangueo, in the eastern sierra of Michoacan, famous for its silver and copper mines. Although the king was proclaimed in 1808, the oath reached the interior mining camps throughout 1809.

New Spain had sworn loyalty to Fernando VII in absentia, recognizing him as legitimate king against the usurper Joseph Bonaparte imposed by Napoleon. Angangueo was a mining center nestled in the high forests of the Michoacan sierra, the same region where the monarch butterflies overwinter today.

That a mountain mining camp struck its own proclamation medal, signed by an engraver like Gordillo, illustrates the weight of mining in the life of the viceroyalty. These 1809 pieces bear witness to how the crisis of the Spanish monarchy, the prelude to the Independence that would soon shake Michoacan, mobilized mining communities across the whole territory.

The Real de Angangueo medal, struck in 1809, evokes one of the most important mining camps of colonial Michoacán, when the silver from its veins fed the economy of New Spain. Wrought by the engraver Francisco Gordillo, it is a piece that brings together mining history and numismatic art in a single silver disc.

It is made of silver, measures 37 millimeters in diameter and weighs 30.3 grams. Being a silver medal, its value has a floor: the precious-metal content. Above that, what pushes it higher is condition, how short the issue was, and interest in the theme it commemorates. A piece with no wear and its original case is worth considerably more than one that has been handled.

How to identify and value this medal

1. Confirm the metal. It is silver; weigh it to estimate its fine-metal content.
2. Read the legend and the motif. It commemorates the Real de Angangueo, 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.

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, I #F-150.