Zacatecas Medal (1808)

This bronze medal of 1808, engraved by Francisco Gordillo, commemorates the proclamation of Ferdinand VII in Zacatecas, one of the greatest silver mining reales of the viceroyalty. The year was critical: after the Bayonne abdications forced by Napoleon, New Spain swore allegiance to Ferdinand VII in absentia, rejecting the usurper Joseph Bonaparte.

Zacatecas owed its enormous wealth to the silver veins discovered in the sixteenth century, which made it one of the most prosperous cities of the New Spanish north. Its ceremonial loyalty carried a special symbolic weight: it was Zacatecan silver that sustained much of the empire's finances.

The proclamation medals of 1808 expressed a loyalty charged with tension, with the king held captive in France. Gordillo's signature, an engraver active in these years, places the piece among the testimonies of the moment when the crisis of the monarchy began to shake the foundations of the colonial order, two years before Independence.

The "Zacatecas" medal was struck in 1808. It is made of bronze, measures 42 mm in diameter and weighs 30.98 grams, struck in Mexico, the work of engraver Francisco Gordillo. In the specialized catalog it is referenced as Grove, Medals of México, I #F-199b.

As a bronze medal, its value comes not from the metal but from what it commemorates: the event it celebrates, its age (viceroyalty era), and demand among collectors of the theme. Condition and the rarity of the issue are what set the price.

How to identify and value this medal

1. Confirm the metal. It is bronze; its value depends on the theme and condition.
2. Read the legend and the motif. It commemorates "Zacatecas," which defines its historical interest.
3. Check the condition. Free of scratches or harsh cleaning, with a natural patina.
4. Look for the case and certificate if it came with them: 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.