Swamperbob, How About This 1870 Oaxaca Balance Peso?

There is something about the rim that strikes me as being kind of crude as well. This is a tough one to call since it has been cleaned. Has the dealer said how much it weighs?

A few thoughts.

First the Balance Scale Pesos have never been a favorite of mine - I can see why they were unpopular at home and abroad. The die work is poor and quality control on the new collared presses was poor.

The problem with the rim is caused by the collar position in relation to the die faces. It looks correct to me but it does not look good. It does raise suspicion that the coin might be a fake UNLESS you know the series rather well. I see it as typical especially for Oaxaca.

Regarding the die engraving - I believe that the links in the chain on the balance scale are original punched features - but not well executed.

I dio not see a reason to call the coin counterfeit.