Real de Catorce Medal (1789)

Struck in 1789, this medal is part of the proclamations of Carlos IV, who inherited the Spanish throne on the death of his father Carlos III in late 1788. As word of the succession spread, the towns of New Spain held solemn proclamations throughout 1789 with public festivities and commemorative medals.

It comes from Real de Catorce, the famous and remote mining camp of the Potosí highlands, whose silver veins made it one of the most thriving mining centers in the north of New Spain. Founded only decades earlier, at the height of the silver boom, it had resources to spare to join the royal ceremonies in style.

That such an isolated mining camp struck its own proclamation medal illustrates the symbolic power of silver in the viceroyalty: those who pulled it from the ground demonstrated their loyalty to the king whose Crown they sustained with that very metal.

The Real de Catorce Medal, struck in 1789, is a silver piece recalling the famous mineral district of San Luis Potosí that became one of the most prosperous mining camps of viceregal Mexico. At 42.23 millimeters in diameter and 37.59 grams of silver, it is a medal of good size that today draws the interest of collectors attracted by its age and the historical theme it commemorates.

Being a silver medal, its value starts from a clear floor: the 37.59-gram precious-metal content. Above that, what pushes it higher is condition, how short the issue was, and interest in the theme it celebrates. A piece with no wear, with natural patina and its original case, is worth considerably more than one that has been handled or harshly cleaned. To evaluate it, confirm the metal and weigh it, read the legend and the motif carefully, check for the absence of scratches or cleaning, and look for the case or certificate if it had them, since they add collector value.

For the collector, this medal appears referenced in the Grove catalog, Medals of México, I #C-160. Explore more pieces in the Mexican numismatics catalog and learn to read the marks in the guide on how to identify Mexican mints.