High Carat Vintage Coin Pendant 22K Gold 1955
I loooooove a good vintage high carat gold coin around my neck and I have a small collection og these myself from around the world. There’s just something about the way they cathes the light and lays close against the skin. Looks sexy I think!
This particular beautiful coin pendant is a beautiful 22K coin from 1955 in amazing condition. It’s set in 18K gold and weighs a whopping 5.7 grams!
He’s 20 mm in diameter without bale. The bale is pretty large and should fit a variety of chain sizes.
The condition is excellent with minor signs of age. The coin depicts Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, (1753-1811). He was a Roman Catholic priest, and revolutionary leader who is called the father of Mexican independence.
In 1808 Spain was invaded by French troops, and Napoleon I forced the abdication of King Ferdinand VII in favour of the French emperor’s brother Joseph Bonaparte. Though Spanish officials in Mexico were loath to oppose the new king, many Mexicans formed secret societies—some supporting Ferdinand, others advocating independence from Spain.
Hidalgo who had been ordained priest in 1778 and now functioning as parish priest, belonged to a pro-independence group in San Miguel. When the plot was betrayed to the Spanish, several members were arrested. Warned to flee, Hidalgo decided to act. On September 16, 1810, he rang the church bell in Dolores to call his parishioners to an announcement of revolution against the Spanish. His speech was both an encouragement to revolt and a cry for racial equalit,y and the redistribution of land. It became known as the Grito de Dolores (“Cry of Dolores”).
What he began in San Miguel as a movement for independence became a social and economic war of the masses against the upper classes. Joined by thousands of Indians and mestizos, Hidalgo marched forth from Dolores under the banner of Our Lady of Guadalupe. With his followers he captured the city of Guanajuato and other major cities west of Mexico City. Soon Hidalgo was at the gates of the capital, but he hesitated, and the opportunity was lost. His followers melted away. Royalists as well as other elements in Mexico were frightened by the prospect of social upheaval and supported the suppression of the rebellion. After his defeat at Calderón Bridge, outside Guadalajara, on January 17, 1811, Hidalgo fled north, hoping to escape into the United States. He was caught, and expelled from the priesthood.
Though his accomplishments were not lasting ones, Hidalgo’s name became the symbol of the independence movement for most Mexicans. September 16, the anniversary of the Grito de Dolores, is now celebrated as Mexico’s Independence Day.
