Instituto Mexiquense de Cultura Medal. 21st Anniversary (2008)

This medal commemorates the 21st anniversary of the Instituto Mexiquense de Cultura, the body that for decades coordinated the cultural life of the State of Mexico. The Institute was created in September 1987 with the mission of rescuing, preserving, and spreading the artistic and cultural heritage of the state, from museums and libraries to symphony orchestras and the Historical Archive of the State of Mexico.

With a 21st anniversary, the piece corresponds to 2008, when the Institute was still the head of cultural policy in the State of Mexico. Years later, in 2014, the institution became the Secretariat of Culture of the State of Mexico, so these medals remained as testimony of a chapter that has now closed.

Struck in tin by Lorenzo Rafael, it is an institutional piece of good size, of the kind handed out at official events and tributes. As a keepsake of a local milestone, its value lies more in the symbolic and collectible than in the metal.

The Instituto Mexiquense de Cultura, 21st Anniversary medal was struck in 2008 to celebrate the 21 years of the cultural agency of the State of Mexico. It is a commemorative piece, not legal-tender currency, the work of engraver Lorenzo Rafael.

What it commemorates

The Instituto Mexiquense de Cultura was created by a law published on September 3, 1987, in the Gaceta del Gobierno del Estado de México. Adding 21 years brings us right to 2008, the year of this issue. The institute was charged with disseminating, promoting, and preserving the art and culture of the State of Mexico, and in December 2014 it became the Secretaría de Cultura del Estado de México.

What it shows

The engraved design alludes to the institute's anniversary and to its cultural work. If you have the piece in hand, check the legend with the full name and the year, plus the initials or mark of the engraver, to confirm it is the correct issue.

Value and collecting

Being a medal and not a coin, its value is commemorative and collectible, not face-based. Here condition and theme rule, not a precious metal: it is struck in tin. Prices are set by demand among collectors of pieces from the State of Mexico and other states. If you want to buy or sell it, compare in the shops directory and ask in the forum, where someone in the trade usually has a reference for these institutional issues.

To identify it without doubt, contrast the real weight and diameter against the record before closing any deal.