(1761) Silver Medal Betts-490, San Miguel el Grande

Coin Details

Auction Record

$1,645 AU55 02-16-2017 Heritage Auctions

Description

Betts-490 in silver is a proclamation medal from San Miguel el Grande (present-day San Miguel de Allende) in Mexico, produced in 1761 for the accession of Charles III. San Miguel el Grande was a prosperous colonial town in the Bajio region of central Mexico, known for its textile workshops, agriculture, and as a waypoint on the silver road from the mines of Guanajuato and Zacatecas. Provincial proclamation medals from smaller Mexican cities are among the scarcest in the colonial series because production quantities were tiny compared to Mexico City or Lima. The silver composition indicates this was intended for local officials and dignitaries. San Miguel el Grande would later become famous as the birthplace of the Mexican independence movement in 1810, when the parish priest Miguel Hidalgo launched the revolt that eventually ended Spanish rule. The proclamation medal documents the loyal colonial culture that preceded the independence era.

Rarity Notes

Silver provincial proclamation medal from San Miguel el Grande. Small-town Mexican colonial issues are very scarce.

Cross References

Betts-490; PCGS #619534