Is This One Bit From An 8 Real Spanish Coin?

I cannot see any detail on it at all. Is it silver-or lead? Could you give us the size?

@lynneol, first welcome to CCF. Second, we are facing the exact same issue that you are: a wedge-shaped hunk of metal that is the right size and shape to be authentic, but no information about the specific metal alloy or details visible on the obverse or reverse. Could your piece be real? Sure, maybe, but I bet if you took one of those shiny pieces of the replica and tarnished to the point that no details were visible, it would look exactly the same as your other piece.

So what can be done? Well, first off, I strongly recommend against cleaning your piece to bring up the details. You could get a laboratory test (called x-ray fluorescence or XRF) done to confirm that the piece is not only primarily silver, but also that all the correct trace elements are in there too. You could also submit this to a third party grading company for conservation and authentication. More info on both of these routes is easily found here on CCF with judicial use of the search function.

Finally, I'm going to recommend to the mods that your post is moved over to the world coin section. There are a couple folks over there who know a whole lot more about this genre than I do.

, Lynneol

First, does it stick to a magnet? (a real bit from an 8 reales will not stick to a magnet)

Next, get an accurate weight. An eight reales weighs about 27 grams. 27/8 = 3.375g so your bit has to be close to this value.

Then, you need to determine the specific gravity. A genuine bit from an 8 reales will have a specific gravity of 10.3 for the proper silver/copper alloy.

An XRF analysis that include a measurement of trace gold would be the last test to apply if all previous ones passed, but it is likely to be prohibitively expensive.

In my opinion, 2.51g is too light to possibly be genuine. That being said, it doesn't really matter what was done to make it look old. Enjoy it as a replica like your other reproduction.

You can't even tell what it is and the weight is dubious for a real bit. Polish it up and put it in your pocket. Enjoy it!

After you've enjoyed it for a while buy a real one to look at but not to play with.

RE: weight... The thing is half-eaten, of course it's going to be underweight!!

Note that I'm not saying the piece is or is not a cut "bit" - though the size/shape is correct for an eight-cut of an 8R. There simply is no discernible detail visible through the encrustation.