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Juarez Repurlica Mexicana 1875 - jeton/token?

Started by hantstoken, February 12, 2023, 06:31:35 PM

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hantstoken

Hi, I have a piece that I can not identify as to its origin. On one side it shows a bust with JUAREZ below and on the other REPURLICA (mis-spelling for REPUBLICA) MEXICANA - eagle & snake dated 1875.
It is 27mm in diameter and apperars to be struck in brass. 
It has a milled edge.
I can make out traces of gilding on the edge and in the word Mexicana.
It looks similar to gaming / toy coins produced around when the piece is dated, but I can't find any references to it.

Thanks

Figleaf

The hole looks like it was made later. While the portrait is well executed, it is not a good likeness of the first president, comparing it with the portraits in Wikipedia. At 27 mm, it may well have been made to resemble a gold 8 escudos coin (which has no portrait), though these were no longer minted in 1875 and Juarez was dead at that time. The spelling error and the funny date may have been to circumvent laws against fake coins.

Speculating, it seems that the piece was aimed at the domestic Mexican market, either as a standalone souvenir or as one of a series of Mexican presidents. The hole indicates that it was eventually worn on clothes, perhaps at festivities such as the Cinco de Mayo.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.