I was thinking of buying an 1842 Mexican 1 real coin, but I don't have a price guide for that period so I have no idea the ballpark value. I know you can't give me an accurate price without seeing it, but assuming it's in fair condition, can someone tell me approximately what it would be worth?
With Mexican coinage of that era, it depends on the mint, the asayer and the condition, but assuming a very fine condition, from 6 to 30 dollars. The 30 dollar coin is minted at san luis potosi, with assayers initials of JS. Source used is 2011 North american Coins and prices. For comparison the 1921 d mercury dime in that book is listed at 78 in g4, which I found to be about 20% high.
OK, thanks. I wasn't sure how much silver was in it so I thought it might have been a really good deal, but I think the price being asked is probably pretty accurate. I need to get the 19th century world coins guide from Krause but I'm looking for a better deal that what I've been seeing.
That is very true Siberianman. I have always advocated that. While Krause is imperative since so many collectors use the numbers, and are good as a primer to a new country, its not very specific. For US collectors, take a look at the US listings in Krause. See how very cursory their listings are, see how they miss a ton of information and varieties compared to even the Red Book? That is how every country is treated. Bottom line, Krause should be on every world coin colelctors shelf, but any country you are collecting seriously should have at least one or two specialty books on them.
When I read about USA (in Krause), I'm screaming and laughing. It is a unique sample of unreal prices And, as for Russian coins: a prices are unreal too.:dead-horse:
I would recommend Krause's 19th century world coins. I don't use it for the US values, but it's good to get a handle on the world coin values. It doesn't have to be precise. I just want to know if this is a $500 coin or a $5 coin. Also, I have a book called "Guidebook to Mexican Coin Values" from 1992 published by Krause that I still use. Unfortunately, I think it's out of print. Maybe someone else knows what I'm talking about. I don't have it in front of me now, but I'll look it up later.
Like you said, for me for this particular era I mostly want to know if something is common or valuable and maybe some specifics about it if it is hard to identify. Most of the coins I am actively collecting right now are 20th century, so I buy 19th century coins just when I stumble upon one and think I'm getting a deal.
Mexican reales during the 19th century were coined at several mints, including Mexico City. The 1 real coin has nearly 1/10 of an ounce of silver, so that's at least 4 dollars melt. Prices vary a lot by mint and condition. Let me just give you the most common values: F $ 7 VF $10 XF $25 Unc over $100 But to really know better, we need to know mint and grade. Looks like your coin would be in the 5 to 25 dollar range. The mint mark in this case can make a big difference, so you need to find that out. Also, finding common coins in VF should be easy for this type, so try to get a nice example. Good luck.
