SHCP / Mexican Mint Medal. Xipe Totec (1980)

This medal unites two seals of national numismatics: the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit and the Mexican Mint, the oldest mint in America, founded by royal charter in 1535. For decades, the Mint operated under the tutelage of the Finance Ministry before passing to the orbit of the Bank of Mexico, so seeing both names together on a piece portrays that institutional relationship.

The motif is Xipe Tótec, the Mesoamerican god of renewal and agricultural fertility, known as our lord the flayed one. Taking up a pre-Hispanic deity on a 1980 medal fits the era's taste for reclaiming Mexico's indigenous roots in official culture.

Struck in gold and of small module, it belongs to those issues the Mint destined more for collectors and institutional gifts than for circulation.

The Xipe Totec medal, issued by the Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público through the Mint in 1980, is a gold piece that pays tribute to one of the most important deities of the Mexica pantheon, the Flayed Lord associated with renewal and fertility. Struck in Mexico, it combines the prestige of the precious metal with a theme deeply rooted in pre-Hispanic iconography.

Struck in gold, it measures 20.05 millimeters in diameter and weighs 9.25 grams. Being a gold medal, its value has a clear floor: the fine metal content. Above that floor, what raises it is condition, the short run of the issue, and interest in the motif it commemorates. A piece with no wear, with a 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 and weigh it to estimate its fine gold content, read the legend and the Xipe Totec motif that define its historical interest, check that it has no scratches or cleaning, and look for the original case and certificate if it came with them, since they add collector value. Explore more pieces in the Mexican numismatics catalog and learn to read the marks in the how to identify Mexican mints guide.