Please help me identify this French commemorative coin/medal/souvenir. OBVERSE: Female face looking right (Liberty?). Around the circumference are the words, "21k REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE" REVERSE: Two figures. One male holding a torch in his left hand and his right hand in a salute to his forehead. He is borne on the shoulder of a winged female figure. Around the circumference are the words, "EXPOSITION UNIVERSELLE INTERNATIONALE". Also in the field is the date "1900" and "21 K". Inside a small rectangular cartouche are the words, "BRASSERIE DE CUAUHTEMOC". The lady that asked me to research this for her had originally bought it as jewelry in a bezel. She was thinking of selling it for its gold content (If it really is 21 karat gold) but wondered if it had any collector value. Any reference books or websites you can provide will be much appreciated. Thanks.
I forgot to give dimensions. The coin is 27 mm in diameter. It weighs 16.85 grams. The only delicate scale I have measures gunpowder in "grains". The coin weighs 260 grains, which I think (hope?) converts to 16.85 grams or 0.542 troy ounce. Can anyone please translate "BRASSERIE DE CUAUHTEMOC"? Thanks again.
Here you go: http://www.expomedals.com/1900/ Lovely medal BTW...I am no expert but I dont think yours is an original...it looks to have 21k stamped on it, soft, different, or missing details.
The "coin" pictured is not one of the award medals: the gold medal produced for the exposition was in fact gilded bronze. All of the official award medals were 64 mm. I'm guessing that this medallic piece was some sort of commemorative issue.
Thank you Drusus and JeromeLS. Yes, the devices are the same as on the Olympic medals, but mine doesn't seem to have the same high relief as the Olympic medals. Also, the "21 K" on my "medal" is raised, whereas there is no such marking on the Olympic medals. I'm also puzzled by the legend, "BRASSERIE DE CUAUHTEMOC". I think "Brasserie" is sort of the equivalent of "restaurant" and Cuauhtemoc was the last king of the Aztecs! (A Paresian Mexican restaurant in 1900? The mind boggles!) I am not too sure this thing is gold, but I don't know how to check it. (It's not magnetic, anyway.) Any further info is still welcome.
BRASSERIE DE CUAUHTEMOC : CUAUHTEMOC is a mexicaan brewery, founded 1890 and trading worldwide. It seems possible to imagine they were involved in providing beers for an international exhibition in 1900 Q
Yes, I don't think it had much to do with beer, good one! Cuauhtemoc was the last king of the Aztec empire. I thought he was a God, so I looked it up. This coin is a Cuauhtemoc coin, and is highly collectible and many were minted. Here's my take on the translation, "bra full of coins", just kidding. Someone will chime in, I'm sure. http://www.govmint.com/item/1948-Cuauhtemoc-Mex-5-Peso-UNC/1802150/38
Thank you, Cucumbor, for the info on the Mexican brewery. When I read up on the Paris 1900 exposition it was mentioned that Campbells Soup was awarded a gold medal and that there is a depiction of it on their labels today. Sure enough, if you have a can of Campbells soup handy, you can see a rendering of the reverse of the medal! Maybe Cuauhtemoc was awarded a medal too?
I did some checking on Cuauhtemoc brewery and apparently it was awarded a gold medal at the 1900 Paris exposition. Maybe this is a copy? I still don't know if it's really gold. Thanks to everyone who has replied. The info adds up! Keep it coming!
I am not an expert on coins, and was a modest collector of early gold and silver medals. So this is my opinion only. First I have the same medal, and have had it for several decades. I am French, and the French government regulates strictly the marking of gold, and has for centuries. There is no such thing as 21k in France. A brasserie is a particular type of restaurant, but is also a brewery. I can't imagine a restaurant ever won an exposition medal, the uproar in France would still be heard today. I think we can presume it was given to the brewery, which in France would of course have been called the "brasserie de cuauhtemoc". Since it is evidently not an official medal, although well struck, and does not have the required French marks, it seems it must be from elsewhere. Mexico did produce coins in 21k. So my presumption is that the brewery won a medal, and the company ordered the medals struck in Mexico, perhaps for the officers of the company, or perhaps as presents for important clients.
Present day value of the medal (2018) of just the gold content alone is over $700. When you include the rarity and collector value, you are looking at an excess of more than $1000 for the medal. (Cited from: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/please-id-french-commem-coin.87871/)
