Hello 8 reales gurus. Is/should there be a premium for an 8 reales coin minted at Zacatecas vice Mexico City, assuming condition is identical? I can't find it (Zacatecas) in the Catalog of World Coins - only Mexico City. Thanks!
Do you have high quality pictures of the coin (both sides)? I know the experts (not me) will ask. What does the mint mark look like? If you are not finding it in catalogs, how did you determine that is where it was minted? rob
The Zs on the reverse, next to 8R confirms Zacatecas mint. Krause states ,"Zacatecas struck the standard Ferdinand VII bust type until 1822" so I would assume no premium versus Mexico City. Keep in mind I make no claim at being an expert.
That's right, Zs is for Zacatecas. I'm still getting used to the layout of information in the new Whitman Encyclopedia of Mexican Money by Don Bailey, but I think this describes your piece for the coin minted at Zacatecas (Zs is mintmark on reverse). KM#111.5 various dates and assayers. There also exists another variety KM#111.6 for date 1813. See what you think from the info pictured in the book.
I can't say what premium is/should be. Check Heritage Auction Archives for an easy free way to look up some results. Or try in the NGC World Coins price guide.
Thanks for all the replies and tips. So did I get this correctly - roughly 7 times difference in 'value'? 1821 Zs - http://www.ngccoin.com/price-guide/world/mexico-zacatecas-8-reales-km-1116-1821-cuid-1717-duid-8206 1821 Mo - http://www.ngccoin.com/price-guide/world/mexico-8-reales-km-111-1811-1821-cuid-1558-duid-7483
looks like KM#111.6 .903 silver grade/value VG-$160.00 F-$320.00 VF-$550.00 XF-$750.00 UNC-? maybe worth $800-900 ? Krause values may differ than real life market values. great early coin.
This is an excellent example of what is typically a crude and usually poorly struck type. It most certainly is worth much more than the Mo mint version. Great coin!
This might be easy to confuse due to varieties for this piece. The Bailey book lists 1813 “Z” a sole date variety for KM#111.6 The Bailey book lists 1813 - 1821 “Zs” (and other assayers) KM#111.5
Here is Numismaster.com "Find my coin" (You can make a free account to see the details as shown in the screen grabs.) See the "Notes" for "Zs" mintmark on KM#111.5. KM#111.5 KM#111.6
Thanks again for the replies and information. Unfortunately I'm still not clear as to whether it's a 111.5 or 111.6. I can see no difference in the pictures, but admittedly the picture of 111.6 is very poor. The above references do say the legend reverse shoud read "HISAV • ET IND • REX" but the illustrated coin has the standard "HISPAN • ET IND • REX". There's also a 111.6 NGC coin on e-bay right now with the HISPAN legend - so I guess that's a typo? Comparison photo - there seems to be a difference in the drapery but Krause states for the 111.5 that "Several bust types exist for the 1821 issues" so that observation could be meaningless. Ebay 261662184115: MEXICO 1821-ZS-AG Kg.FERDINAND VII 8 REALES "WAR OF INDEPENDENCE" NGC-AU-50.
I'm leaning to 111.5 for the Zs coin. The book I quoted is a very new guide by a leading expert on Mexican coins with many decades and accolades in that area of numismatics study, and he uses both Krause numbers and his own cataloging system numbers, covering all eras of Mexican currency. Potentially 111.6 is a typo on the NGC coin (at the eBay link). I think it should read 111.5. I'm not sure how many bust types exist for these coins or what the one on your coin (PCGS) shown earlier in this tread is called. However, your's is a LOT nicer than the one on eBay. I'd say it's definitely worth the premium in that grade/condition as others suggested earlier.
I think I will be investing in this book - I'm hoping it's a little better than the Standard Catalog - i.e. better pictures, more information about the coins themselves, not just a list of dates? Now... off to Amazon... PS: Is this it? http://smile.amazon.com/Whitman-Enc...083&sr=8-2-fkmr1&keywords=baily+mexican+coins
Yes, it has many full color illustrations. Know that this book is Volume 1 and there are 4 volumes planned, with the next due out in early(?) 2015. Also covers a little paper money and medals. It comes with a nice illustrated printed hard cover and all glossy pages, from Whitman publishing. Nice quality!
