Posted 06/15/2012 8:16 pm
Chucky117 - There is definitely something wrong when you encounter an 8R weighing 22 grams. That is a fact I wish I could put in all collectors heads for ready reference.
Silver coins made 150 years ago were made to come out of circulation after they lost roughly 5% of their total weight. The metal was the actual value of the coin and not the face amount. Token coins were not yet acceptable to most people. So a worn coin could meant getting a few cents less for the dollar. The next fellow to receive the coin might weigh it and DISCOUNT its value.
Since a brand new 8R weighed 27 grams (with a very narrow tolerance of 2/10ths gram) - that means that the target weight for retirement of an 8R was about 25.6 grams. That is 3.6 grams heavier than your coin. The weight of 22 grams is 81.5% of correct so using that coin as money is asking the receiver to take 81 cents on the dollar.
A coin worn to the point at which it is retired is a coin that has the rim well worn INTO the lettering all around. It is a coin in Fair to About Good grade. Your coin is far better than that with surviving dentils at the rim. So even though the central devices are VERY weak - the coin grades a minimum of VG and should weigh at least 26 grams.
You need to know this before you start collecting 8Rs seriously. It is simple self protection.
The Cap and Ray series are a big but tricky series.
Had you known these facts and committed them to memory (as all 8R collectors should) you would be able to get the answer to the question you are asking.
The coin is either a counterfeit or it has been altered to remove silver.
I am not trying to come across as a wise alec or as a know it all - but when dealing with any silver coin back when intrinsic value was implied - wear standards were co-ordinated with die design so that a worn looking coin was retired before it became a serious fraud to use as money.
Most collectors who are under 50 years old have not seen many circulating silver coins and are simply unaware of wear studies.
I am trying to educate collectors to the simple but critical facts first.
This coin is NOT ALTERED.
It is a beautiful Contemporary Counterfeit made to circulate alongside original coins. It was made to spend as a dollar but it contains far too little silver. The dies were likely hand engraved since there are numerous design problems with the coin.
But as a Contemporary Counterfeit it is definitely collectible and I would pay up to $40 for a similar coin if I encountered it at a coin show.
If you ever want to get rid of it - contact me. I own over 3,000 counterfeit 8 Reales and always welcome more.
Silver coins made 150 years ago were made to come out of circulation after they lost roughly 5% of their total weight. The metal was the actual value of the coin and not the face amount. Token coins were not yet acceptable to most people. So a worn coin could meant getting a few cents less for the dollar. The next fellow to receive the coin might weigh it and DISCOUNT its value.
Since a brand new 8R weighed 27 grams (with a very narrow tolerance of 2/10ths gram) - that means that the target weight for retirement of an 8R was about 25.6 grams. That is 3.6 grams heavier than your coin. The weight of 22 grams is 81.5% of correct so using that coin as money is asking the receiver to take 81 cents on the dollar.
A coin worn to the point at which it is retired is a coin that has the rim well worn INTO the lettering all around. It is a coin in Fair to About Good grade. Your coin is far better than that with surviving dentils at the rim. So even though the central devices are VERY weak - the coin grades a minimum of VG and should weigh at least 26 grams.
You need to know this before you start collecting 8Rs seriously. It is simple self protection.
The Cap and Ray series are a big but tricky series.
Had you known these facts and committed them to memory (as all 8R collectors should) you would be able to get the answer to the question you are asking.
The coin is either a counterfeit or it has been altered to remove silver.
I am not trying to come across as a wise alec or as a know it all - but when dealing with any silver coin back when intrinsic value was implied - wear standards were co-ordinated with die design so that a worn looking coin was retired before it became a serious fraud to use as money.
Most collectors who are under 50 years old have not seen many circulating silver coins and are simply unaware of wear studies.
I am trying to educate collectors to the simple but critical facts first.
This coin is NOT ALTERED.
It is a beautiful Contemporary Counterfeit made to circulate alongside original coins. It was made to spend as a dollar but it contains far too little silver. The dies were likely hand engraved since there are numerous design problems with the coin.
But as a Contemporary Counterfeit it is definitely collectible and I would pay up to $40 for a similar coin if I encountered it at a coin show.
If you ever want to get rid of it - contact me. I own over 3,000 counterfeit 8 Reales and always welcome more.
