Banco de México Medal (2002)

This medal comes from the Banco de México, the country's central bank, founded in 1925 to regulate the monetary circulation and concentrate the issuance of coin and banknote. Throughout its history, Banxico has issued commemorative pieces tied to its anniversaries, its cultural holdings, and institutional milestones.

The 2002 date places this issue in the first years of the new millennium, with the central bank already fully consolidated as the steward of monetary and financial policy.

Struck in silver and of good module, the piece belongs to the central bank's institutional medals, the kind meant for collectors and official gifts, more as an object of prestige than as a circulating coin.

What it shows The two faces of this medal do not belong to a recent piece or a bank. On one face there is a winged angel seated on clouds writing on a tablet, surrounded by the engraved legend A LA APLICACION PREMIO DE HONOR, with the engraver's signature PITNER F. at the bottom. The other face bears a laurel wreath framing the text LA AUTORIDAD POLÍTICA DE MÉXICO. The color and the wear point to a coppery-toned metal, not silver.

Context This is a school prize or merit medal of the "premio a la aplicacion" type, a well-documented category of awards that Mexican authorities and schools handed out for good performance. Its iconography and hand-signed engraving place it in the 19th century, not a modern bank anniversary. There is no public record linking this piece to the Banco de México or to the year 2002.

Value and collecting This medal is not legal tender: its interest is historical and for collecting. In pieces like this, the value is set by the actual metal, the condition of the relief, and the sharpness of the engraver's signature. If you want to appraise it or compare examples, check the shops directory and ask about its exact attribution in the forum, where other collectors help identify old merit awards.