Sociedad Poblana de Artesanos Medal (1869)

Silver medal of the Puebla Society of Artisans, dated 1869, within the mutualist movement of the second half of the 19th century.

Puebla was one of the great craft centers of Mexico, with guilds of shoemakers, tailors, carpenters, weavers, and other trades. After the right of association was guaranteed in the Constitution of 1857, the Puebla artisans organized into mutual aid societies to support one another in the face of illness, unemployment, or death.

These pieces functioned as an emblem of membership for the associates. The medal documents the beginnings of mutualism in Puebla, a movement that sought to improve workers' conditions through solidarity and that would be a forerunner of the labor organizations of modern Mexico.

The Sociedad Poblana de Artesanos medal, struck in 1869, is a small silver testament to the labor and guild organizing movement that flourished in Puebla during the 19th century. Paying tribute to a society of artisans in precious metal spoke to the pride with which these trades asserted themselves in the Mexico of the era.

Struck in silver, it measures 22.57 millimeters in diameter and weighs 6.43 grams. Being a silver piece, its value has a floor set by the fine-metal content, and above that what lifts it is condition, the short run of the issue, and interest in the theme it commemorates. A specimen 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, read the legend and the motif carefully, since they give it its historical character, and check that it shows no scratches or cleanings. The case and the certificate, if it kept them, add collector 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. In the specialized catalog, this medal is referenced as Grove, Medals of México, II #186a.