Guatemala 8 Reales--Genuine?

I'd say its genuine KurtS, people who produce forgeries for coins of that age, would normally produce them at a slightly better grade.
Now of course, it also depends on how old this coin is, if it is a forgerie, and whether it accidently entered circulation, which can happen.
but my bet is that its genuine. :)

Thanks for your insights!

Hunter,
You have a good point about that shield! I went over to Heritage, and compared to other 4 and 8 Reales from the period, and I don't see any castles overhanging the shield. It's almost like somebody did not plan well. Good call!

This is hardly my area of expertise, and it sounds like my friend should research this one further because it may be genuine. Everyone has been very helpful--thanks!
Btw, isn't Swamperbob knowledgeable on these coins? I'd really like hearing his opinion.

KurtS - There is some good news and some bad news. First the bad news. The coin is a counterfeit of that I have essentially no doubt whatsoever. The signs are:
1. The crudely engraved features - like the world globes, the crowns and the features of the coat of arms. These should be made with elemental punches in 1755. Look specifically at the lower arc on the Crown above the Dos Mundos. Also the features ON the globes themselves are incorrect and compare the Rosettes - they are distinctively different and should NOT BE.
2. The lettering is hand engraved and does not match the correct font precisely. Compare for example the A's in VTRAQUE and HISPAN. If that is not enough or if you think the letters should be on ONE die - check the E's on the shield side.
3. On the Shield side look at the edge near the rim at IND REX. The rough surfaces which link the letters to the rim are typical of transfer dies.
4. I am suspicious about the application of the edge design. There appear to be surface distrotions as if it was applied POST strike. That would tend to bother me because Many mints had converted to pre-edged planchets by 1755.

Now for the good news, Counterfeits are often very valuable. It depends on when they were made and by whom. To determine actual value as a counterfeit it would be helpful to know the weight (to the 1/10th gram) and the density if possible.

So the Bad news is actually tempered by the fact that you may possibly have an older forgery.

KurtS - A weight of 26.5 grams is right on the edge between what I would suspect is a modern forgery and a possible contemporary. The earlier forgeries are usually light weight. They made them to look worn hoping that the average person would attribute a weight loss to wear. The range for the average contemporary forgery is roughly 23 grams to 26 grams. Some do go as high as 26.5 grams but not too many. The modern numismatic types range from 26.4 to 27.3 grams with 26.9 being average. I am excluding from consideration white metal junk copies (Tourist Class) that run 19.5 grams to 23 grams.

The next step is definitely density. An early forgery will not be anywhere near 10 because they made their profit by using base metals - a numismatic forgery will likely be silver and will run 10.2 to 10.6. I have seen several in Sterling silver and a few in 0.999 fine silver made from machined down silver rounds. For that reason SGs over 10.3 do occur and are absolutely modern.