Thread: 8 reales - Is it real? Cleaned? Value?

I came across this 8 reales coin and was wondering what would be a fair price for this coin? The seller says it's genuine and offers a 7-day return policy. It also has some pretty blue and gold toning that I'm sure would look way nicer in hand. Please chime in and let me know what you think!

Here are some pics:

It looks real but the counterfeiter are getting better each day.I would save up and buy a graded coin by a TPG may save you from getting burned

It is difficult to determine if it is counterfeit from the photos. It is also worth noting that the 8 Reales were the coin of the realm throughout the world, including the early U.S. As such, they were counterfeited in significant numbers throughout the years. Some counterfeits are crude, while others are difficult to discern from a real coin. Many collect the counterfeits as a separate field of interest connected to these coins. They are still counterfeited today to fool collectors.


It takes a knowledgeable collector of this series to correctly identify the legitimacy of a coin such as yours. The weight alone may or may not correctly identify a counterfeit, some discrepancy in the edge design can also be an indicator of a counterfeit. I personally don't think it is worth sending to a grading service considering the wear and what appears to be a fingerprint. If you search this site you will find several good sources of information on this coinage.

Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC is a good source for photos and information.

Your coin is also known as a Pillar Dollar. If you go to this link, you will be able to compare it to a real one (click on the image to increase its size).http://fao-coins.info/pillar/pillar.html

As to the cleaning it's hard to tell from photos , but many coins this old have been cleaned , if yours was it doesn't seem to be done too harshly .
rzage