SHCP / Casa de Moneda Medal. Nuevo León (1980)

This small silver medal was issued by the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP) through the Mint (Casa de Moneda), at its Nuevo León facility, in 1980.

The Mexican Mint, founded in 1535 and the oldest in the Americas, has occupied different facilities throughout its history. In the 20th century it moved much of its production to plants in the north of the country, and the San Luis Potosí mint and the northeastern facilities played a role in modern minting.

Small in module, the piece belongs to the issues the Mint itself produced to promote its work and its history. These institutional medals of the mint document the continuity of a minting tradition nearly five centuries old, a source of pride in Mexican heritage and a testament to the craft of striking metal.

The SHCP / Casa de Moneda de Nuevo León medal, struck in 1980, is a small silver piece that commemorates this historic Mexican mint, an object much prized by those who collect the medallic output of the Secretaría de Hacienda. At just 20.04 millimeters in diameter and 5.56 grams in weight, it condenses the prestige of the Monterrey minting house into a compact format.

Being silver, its value has a clear floor in the precious-metal content, but what truly drives it is condition, how short the issue was, and interest in the theme it commemorates. A piece with no wear, natural patina, and its original case is worth considerably more than one that has been handled or harshly cleaned. To value it, it helps to confirm the metal by weighing it, carefully read the legend and motif, check that it has no scratches or cleanings, and look for the case and certificate if it ever had them, since they add collection value.

You can explore more pieces in the Mexican numismatics catalog and learn to read the marks in the guide on how to identify Mexican mints.