M022
Silver, AU with toning
46 mm (1-7/8”), 41 grams
REVERSE: Mining has a long history in the region now known as Bolivia, going back to the colonial rule of the Spanish Empire. In the years between 1880 and 1920, Bolivia enjoyed a rebirth of silver mining and the growth of tin mining. A tall, caped, nude man stands triumphantly upon a loaded mine car with upraised right arm holding a torch, while a laurel branch rests across his left shoulder. He is being pulled from the mountainous mine by four muscular miners. Signed in the lower-right quadrant by Constante Rossi (1914–unknown), Argentine medallic sculptor.
OBVERSE: “1825 PRIMER CENTENARIO DE BOLIVIA 1925” encircles a portrait of the 35th president of Bolivia (1921–1925), Bautista Saavedra Mallea (1870–1939). In 1825, Upper Peru declared its independence from Spanish rule and, on August 6, proclaimed themselves the Republic of Bolivia. This medal celebrates the first hundred years of independence.
