| Author |
 Replies: 17 / Views: 4,259 |
|
Pillar of the Community
 United States
2448 Posts |
First and foremost, why do we ignore Mexican Coins on the forum? Second, I picked these up in Mexico and have always been fascinated by "Pieces of 8 and Libertads". I just can't find info on the coins I've purchased. Don't re,member if it was Can Cun, Mazatlawhatever, Acapulco, or down south of Veracruz. Here's part of what I've acquired and I'd like an educated guess if it's real.. First one I can't find anything on. Goggle has nothing. it's a 5 Pesos coin with an edge inscription that make no sense to me. It weighs 27.7 grams and is 40.05 mm in diameter. Photos follow:      The next one is an 1887 8 Real with an variegated (?) edge and weighs 27.0 grams and is 38.38 in diameter.   I've been told that all 8 Reals have flow or die marks, and I don't see either on this one. Help Swamper Bob and 8 Reales.  |
|
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1801 Posts |
Your first coin posted is a common 1952 "Hidalgo" 5 peso. Silver content .6431 oz. Most of these coins sell for bullion value unless in MS condition. The weight on yours is perfect so I doubt you have a fake.
The second coin you pictured is not an 1887 8 reales, it is a 1945 "cap and Ray" 1 peso. This coin is also common and contains .3856 oz silver and also trades for bullion value, unless your coin is in MS condition, hard to tell from the photo. These coins are for sale all over Mexico in jewelry shops and "tourist" shops. Nice coins from a country with a rich history of silver coin production.
Please post pictures of your 1887, I am sure I speak for the forum when we say we would love to see pictures.
|
|
New Member
United States
33 Posts |
I love Mexican coins too! Yes, we would like to see that 1887 8R and even though I am new as a registered member I have followed many Mexican coin threads very closely and have often wondered why don't they get their own section on the forum.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
5362 Posts |
I agree with most of the comments so far, but I think a section on Mexican coins would not be in the best interests of the forum or Mexican collectors in general. Often people collect more than one kind of coin (expecially world coins) so a Mexican only forum might lose the expertise of people who collect in other areas.
Many questions that pertain to Mexican coins also pertain to other coins as well. We need as many eyes on each subject as possible in the hope that a fact which may be well known in one context - can be of use when applied to other situations.
For example - coining anomolies seen on coins produced in Open Sided Presses are NOT exclusive to Mexican coins. Many other coins were made in the same way in other countries. An observation of someone who understands US Bust 50 cent coins (made in open sided screw presses) may be of help to someone who collects only Mexican 8R coins. The fact that those categories appear in different sections dilutes the reading pool and slows rather than increases the flow of information.
carmykle - the edge on an 8R is called an "engrailled" edge. It was applied in a dictinct step BEFORE the coin was struck. The edges were applied on an edging mill which produces 2 overlaps of equal length.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
 United States
2448 Posts |
I must have gotten these out of order. OK, here are the others that are in decent shape. Oh and one other question I had is why "Libertad" is on the edges all the coins except the 5 Pesos? I thought the Libertad was strictly a bullion coin produced by the central Mexican bank. This one has an Olympic Symbol and is 22.4 grams and is 38.51 mm in diameter.   This one weighs 31.0 grams and is 38.28 mm   This is the 1887 8 are and the one I was rally concerned of. Its 27.0 grams and 38.38 mm.   I'm gonna have to do another road trip. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2448 Posts |
Sorry gang I forgot to answer your question on the Mexican coin forum. We have a forum for US, Canadian, Australian, and then all other World coins. If you're saying there isn't the interest, I could understand. I'd like to point out that your statement on another thread alluded to Mexico having a (I know I'll screw this up) "Rich and diverse history in the minting of Silver coinage". I agree with that paraphrasation (is that a word) and can only add that we are still pulling Mexican and Spanish gold out of the Gulf of Mexico and have yet to scratch the surface of how diverse their minting was. Just a thought.
I would also have thought that more people have been to Mexico and have an inkling of the culture. I'll never forget walking in Chichen Itza, climbing the pyramid and strolling the ball court. A lot of history and culture there. Including those in Hondo and Guatemala, I've seen 8 Mayan sites and only want to see more.
I've said enough.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1801 Posts |
Carmykle
Libertad just means "liberty" in Spanish, that is why it appears on the edge of so many coins. Mexican 1 oz silver bullion coins also happen to be called "Libertads" because of the statue pictured on the coin.
As for a separate "Mexico" heading in the forum I have to agree with Swamperbob and oppose the idea. I believe Bob's point is that many of us that collect "Mexican coins" have collections that spill over into many different categories. (I for one collect "8 Reales" minted in the New World by numerous countries including Mexico both as a Spanish colony and as a country). If the Mexico coins were isolated out into their own category, I would lose the convenience of just checking one category and finding all the threads on the whole range of what I collect and learning things that can be applied to my own collection in the postings regarding other world coins.
I believe many of us here on the forum collect Mexican coins and we post here under world coins. By all means, please join us and post away, we want to learn about your coins and your interests. I have also traveled extensively in Mexico (were you able to go into the inner chamber of "El Castillo" when you were in Chichen Itza and view the carved jaguar with the jade eyes? It's an amazing sensation but really claustrophobic)) and have a nice collection of Mexican coins both pulled from circulation and purchased from Mexican coin dealers. I have also had the good fortune to find "pieces of eight" lost by the Spanish in the hurricanes of 1715 and 1733.
Your 1968 Olympic coin was minted to celebrate the Olympics held in Mexico City in that year. I cannot tell from the picture but be careful on that coin, it is a favorite of the Chinese Counterfeiters.
The middle coin is a "Libertad" bullion coin.
Your pictures are too fuzzy to tell much about the 8 reales, can you post higher resolution pictures? Or email them to me directly?
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2448 Posts |
I'll have to re-shoot. Once you bring down the pixels to what I can post here the photo is ruined. I'll try another method to get them to you. I'll try putting them on photobucket.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
5362 Posts |
The 1887 Mo MH 8R coin looks real but I would also like to see larger photos to be sure. It is one of the standardized die issues and has "dragon's Teeth". The date and mint are one of very few dates where I am UNAWARE of a decent looking counterfeit variety. The only counterfeit of that date I have run into was a made for circulation white metal casting (dating to the early part of the 20th century) that was horribly underweight and awfully crude. Your coin certainly looks much better even in the small picture. For those of you that may be unfamiliar with "Dragon's Teeth" here is a picture of what they look like. They are two fine points protruding from the bottom of the Liberty Cap one on either side of the lower central ray. They were added to Mexico City dies as an anti counterfeiting device in 1867. They were on all standardized dies of the branch mints by 1887 and they are seen through the end of the 8R series in 1897. The dragon's teeth are RARELY the correct size or shape on forgeries.  |
|
Valued Member
Greece
425 Posts |
 Hidalgo Bicentennial are one of my favourite coins.Cheap enough for a crown size silver coin, and can easily have it in MS |
|
Valued Member
Greece
425 Posts |
 reverse |
|
Valued Member
Philippines
80 Posts |
Quote:
unfamiliar with "Dragon's Teeth" here is a picture of what they look like Thank you, SwamperBob -- for finally enlightening us on what it really is. I have read about this in your previous post and had really wondered what it is. :) Quote:
many of us here on the forum collect Mexican coins and we post here under world coins. I agree with jfransch that we all lump them all together in world coins. I do collect Spanish colonials and incidentally also have a very few Cap & Ray crowns. Being from the Philippines, the history of the coins that once circulated since our 'introduction to the West by Spain in 1521' is also quite diverse. Mexico was a key point in our history. Also, being a trading point at some time, we managed to have a confluence of Chinese and Western coins circulating all at the same time. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2448 Posts |
Ok, I'll try this. Loaded up a photo bucket album. Here are the links to the 8R. Hope you can see this one.   |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1801 Posts |
Nice coin, has the "teeth" and certainly looks real to me. Appears to have "hairline scratches" all over the fields? Possible result of an old cleaning?
|
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
3692 Posts |
Next time you go, grab me some business cards of the places you hit, please!
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
5362 Posts |
The better pictures make the teeth clear and show the details much better.
The coin is an original. It is far better looking than the counterfeit variety.
There are no varieties listed in Resplandores for this date.
|
| |
Replies: 17 / Views: 4,259 |
Posted 08/01/2010 9:21 pm
