Zacatecas Mexico 2 Real - Finally Dated As An 1811

1811 Zacatecas Mexico 2 Reales

From what I have found, these were minted from November 1810 to May 1811 at the beginning of the Mexican revolution (200th anniversary is coming up next September 2010)

Since this was the revolutionaries first efforts to produce coins, they are commonly found with weak strikes as seen on this one.

There are two types of these coins. One with Fernando VII and this one, which has the two mountains on the back, La Bufa and El Grillo, on which is a cross. Below the mountains is L.V.O. which stands for "Labor Vincit Omnia" which means "work conquers all" the city motto for Zacatecas.

Please note that there are two sub-types that I have seen for the "corss on mountain" version of the coin. There are those that are clearly more advanced in the tooling as the dies have enhanced details and those that are made with painfully crude dies that lack detail so much that there is doubt as to what is being seen. Key differences are:

1. The ribbon around the columns.

With the clear type, it is clearly a ribbon. On the other hand, with the crude type it is hardly distinguishable that it is a ribbon as seen in the images of this particular coin.

2. The symbols in the shield.

Again, the clear type it is obviously a set of castles and lions alternating. With the crude type, it is indistinguishable as to what is being seen as illustrated in this particular coin.

3. Date orientation

right side up is clear type, crude type has the date up side down.

4. Location of value

Clear type has location at has it next to the date on the bottom of the coin, the crude type has it on the top above the crown.

Also, this coin is a 1811 for sure. In spite of being a weak strike/worn where the date is, because the date on this series is upside down the bottom of the last "1" where a "0" might be is barely visible...but it is very distinguishable when you look at other 1811 "crude" sub-types.



Date, upside down, up CLOSE.