Was sorting through some old purchases and this one puzzles me. I think it's a Peru 1836 4 reales, Cuzco, but the weight is about 13.5 g, and the listed weight is 13.0. Diameter looks OK. Non-magnetic. My first thought would be it is non-authentic. Though why anyone would fake a coin with a giant edge ding and this much wear is beyond me. Maybe a contemporary counterfeit? Any suggestions or comments welcomed.
I'm sure you double checked your scale? Re- tare. Toss a eagle on it check that its accurate. Other than that no idea. 30.00 ish coin in vf so you wouldn't think they would copy it?
I tested the scale on a dime, and it was high by a tiny amount, but not nearly enough to account for the difference between 13.5 and 13.0 g. I need a 100 g weight to recalibrate it, which I don't have at the moment. I agree the coin is not so valuable to be a likely modern fake, especially in that condition. My guess is either real, or contemporary counterfeit.
I concur with the guess in that last sentence, though I do so only on a gut level, without any solid knowledge to back it. And I’m not sure which. But yes, I agree that it’s either a real piece that’s overweight for unknown reasons, or a contemporary counterfeit, and likely not a modern fake. PS- the clipped planchet is interesting. So probably not cast, unless it was cast from another coin with a clip? PPS- if it’s a contemporary counterfeit, I reckon it’s possibly worth as much as an original would be, anyway.
It looks good to me. I do not doubt it. By the way, quite a few Cuzco 4 reales 1836 are listed in acsearch, many with weights in excess of 13.0 grams.
The clipped die may represent an attempt to adjust the weight of the planchet at the time of minting. If it's slightly too thick, that could easily account for the overweight reading (& was common for coins of that era, as planchet thicknesses are relatively easy to goof up when using hand tools). Nothing else about it strikes me as a red flag.
