Need Help Authenticating 1542-1555 Spanish 4 Reales Coin

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Author	Replies: 4 / Views: 622
dpauld New Member United States 2 Posts	Posted 05/13/2023 11:21 pm I am not a collector but managed to find this coin in a private estate sale. It appears to be a Spanish 4 Reales Coin minted during the Mexico reign of Carlos & Johanna (1542-1555). Here are some basic specs: Weight: 10.7g Diameter: Approximately 1-3/16" Thickness: Approximately 1/16" I had it tested by a local coin dealer, who verified the silver content and "believed" it could be genuine (also checked it for seams?). They would not send it in for authentication and told me to become a member of one of the grading companies. However, since I am not a collector and will never have another coin to validate, I don't want to purchase a membership. I just want to know if it is truly authentic. Any advice or information would be greatly appreciated. Edited by dpauld 05/14/2023 12:51 am Report this Post to the Staff

John1 Moderator United States 56855 Posts	Posted 05/14/2023 04:14 am Report this Post to the Staff
Spence Moderator United States 34393 Posts	Posted 05/14/2023 06:17 am @dpa, first welcome to CCF. Second, the weight seems a little low compared with an authentic coin (link below), although I do see that the edge has been shaved some. Also, the surfaces seem very pebbled, which is concerning to me. With that said, this isn't really my area of expertise, so I'm not 100% sure on this one. https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces14988.html "If you climb a good tree, you get a push." -----Ghanaian proverb "The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed." -----King Adz Report this Post to the Staff
dpauld New Member United States 2 Posts	Posted 05/14/2023 11:58 pm Thank Spence for your response, and for the great link! When I first found this coin, it was completely covered in a hard, almost metallic-like crust. I assumed it must have been buried for quite a while to get that kind of buildup. The coin shop I referred to actually put it an ultrasonic cleaner(?) for an entire day to get all the lettering discernible. Probably something he shouldn't have done, but I'm the last person that would have known better (he did it without asking, btw)... Is it possible that it took off some of the actual coin that would account for the lighter weight? There is also quite a bit of erosion that is really evident when looking at the edge of the coin (pic attached, but not sure how well you can see what I'm talking about). So it does appear some of the actual coin metal has been eroded away. Report this Post to the Staff
jbuck Moderator United States 187634 Posts	Posted 05/15/2023 08:47 am to the Community! Coin Collector Since 1978 Avatar Old Avatar 7070 Eisenhower Australia Canada World CCF Members on eBay CCF eBay Search Engine Report this Post to the Staff
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