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1 Sol - Manuel Isidoro Belzu 6th Bolivian constitution - Monetary Medal
| Issuer | Bolivia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1851 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Sol |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central device features the Coat of Arms of Bolivia in a simplified form, omitting the usual military trophies that flank the standard arms. The shield is surmounted by the condor and displays the alpaca, mountain, breadfruit tree, and the fasces with axe in the customary quartered arrangement. A circular legend arcs across the upper portion, accompanied by nine five-pointed stars arranged along the lower arc. The entire design is encircled by a decorative knotted cord border. |
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| Reverse lettering | REPUBLICA BOLIVIANA ********* |
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| Additional information |
Struck to commemorate the constitution promulgated under President Manuel Isidoro Belzu in 1851, this piece occupies an awkward category — neither purely a coin nor a conventional medal, but a monetized commemorative issued at face value. Belzu was a caudillo of genuine popular appeal, one of the few Bolivian leaders of the period who actively cultivated support among indigenous and mestizo populations, which made his constitutional moment politically significant enough to warrant a dedicated issue.
The .666 fine silver alloy places it below the standard coinage fineness Bolivia was then striking, a deliberate economy consistent with the country's chronic silver supply constraints in the early 1850s.