1840 Republic Mexicana 8R - Real Or Fake?

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Author	Replies: 9 / Views: 2,022
Shaw119 New Member United States 14 Posts	Posted 01/16/2020 01:45 am I found this coin while metal detecting on my families farm. I am trying to determine if it is real or fake. The mint Mark is worn but appears to be Is - it potentially is Js. Looking for opinions. Report this Post to the Staff

John1 Moderator United States 56855 Posts	Posted 01/16/2020 05:15 am Please crop photos before posting...thanks. Weight? Diameter? Edge photos? John1 Edited by John1 01/16/2020 05:15 am Report this Post to the Staff
tdziemia Pillar of the Community United States 7940 Posts	Posted 01/16/2020 07:34 am I don't have that coin, but I have that dish towel There are experts on Mexico coins who will weigh in...Very nice find! Report this Post to the Staff
offimatrix New Member United Kingdom 17 Posts	Posted 01/16/2020 4:40 pm Looks real to me and well worn. Nice find Report this Post to the Staff
realeswatcher Pillar of the Community United States 1962 Posts	Posted 01/16/2020 8:34 pm A "contemporary counterfeit" of a Mexican Cap & Rays 8 Reales - meaning a counterfeit made around that time to pass as real. These type of pieces are plentiful for the Cap & Ray's 8R... though yours is an interesting variety, with the fantasy "Is" mintmark. It is a known type in fairly decent condition for a ground find. What state was it discovered in? Report this Post to the Staff
swamperbob Pillar of the Community United States 5362 Posts	Posted 01/16/2020 9:05 pm Shaw119 What you have discovered is in fact a Contemporary Circulating Counterfeit 8 reales. It is a die match to the Riddell # 425 plate coin. This is not a particularly common counterfeit. It is a fantasy mint mark Is was never in fact used. I own 6 examples of the type all about the grade of yours and there are some variations in the metallic composition. I have one that is struck in bronze or copper and has no trace of silver plating at all - it is underweight. The coin Riddell encountered and included in his book was assayed as 450/1000 silver by the mint. This debased silver coin was found to weigh 27 grams. So it did contain about 50 cents worth of metal. These earlier debased silver issues are most likely scarcer than the later plated versions. A counterfeit worth half of face value would have been turned in for melting at the mint to recover some of the loss. This coin is also the very last numbered entry in the 8R section of Mexico. Nice coin that should sell well to an interested collector of counterfeits. It should not be cleaned or damaged to preserve the value. I agree it would be interesting to know the exact location of the find and the relation if any to areas that were settled prior to 1857. Was it found in an old dump area - along side an old roadway or cart path? Were any other items found in the proximity? Since these coins were legal tender in the US until 1857 and circulated freely all over the country it is not a really surprising find. Report this Post to the Staff
RealPeso Valued Member United States 426 Posts	Posted 01/21/2020 03:06 am Awesome find indeed and a contemporary counterfeit of all makes the find even more interesting. Report this Post to the Staff
Shaw119 New Member United States 14 Posts	Posted 01/30/2020 12:43 am This coin was found at my family's farm in Kentucky. I have found several coins near the old homestead that was built in 1870's. The house burned down in 1960. My great aunt was married to a guy with the last name De Soto. His linage traces back to Hernado de Soto. What would the approximate value for this coin be? I doubt I will ever sell it, but would be interested to know. Report this Post to the Staff
swamperbob Pillar of the Community United States 5362 Posts	Posted 02/01/2020 3:45 pm Shaw119 What a counterfeit brings at auction is always conjectural. It depends on who see's the coin and who has interest in the particular variety. I have purchased similar counterfeits for as little as $25 and have had to pay well over $100 for others. I have not done a detailed comparison for an exact die match with all 6 of my examples, however, if for example it used one different die it would fall in the over $100 category - if both dies were "new" varieties to me I would go higher. This field of collecting is still maturing. Very little data exists on actual numbers of coins that exist and even less hard data exists on how solid the collector market actually is. Report this Post to the Staff
Shaw119 New Member United States 14 Posts	Posted 02/02/2020 12:36 pm Thank you Swamperbob Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 9 / Views: 2,022

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