Is This 8 Reales Genuine Or Not?

goodgoddog You say -


I am not 100 % sure about which pillars you are referring to because the castle does not include pillars in the standard design. Perhaps you mean the towers that rise above the castle walls?

The best way to address that is to provide a detail of what I believe was the standard design used by the Madrid mint in 1815. Here it is.



Based on what I see, I believe the coin is likely genuine. The photos make the coin appear to have been cleaned (too white). I would check other photos in the same auction to see if that is a common problem with the source.

I see no reason given the data at hand to believe the coin is a counterfeit or a forgery.

goodgoddog I have been collecting 8R coins since 1960 and I specialize in counterfeit varieties.

You really need to understand the processes used at the Spanish mints to understand precisely why small differences like you describe are an attribute of genuine coins.

I will attempt to do this simply (because it took me many pages to describe the entire process in my book).

1. Each die was made individually using a series of individual punches that typically have ONE detail on each of them. The two castles were punched individually. So the position relative to other element will vary.

2. Punches were often damaged while in use so that sometimes repairs or cracks can be evident.

3. The die face was finished by grinding before being cleaned and hardened which can alter details.

4. The punches were produced individually from master punches that were in turn created from a master design block. However, the method of reproduction does allow for reproduction of intermediate flaws.

5. The punch details themselves are the best way to review the design, most counterfeiters making their own dies get things wrong. In many cases I do not believe the counterfeiters knew what the individual punch elements were. This goes double for most (not all) modern forgers.

If you have other questions just ask. I use the process of manufacture as my primary basis for Counterfeit Detection.

Thank swamperbob for your comprehensive explanations. I learned a lot. Thank tdziemia for your checking.

Have a good night.