Featured A Lifelong Numismatic Dream Fulfilled - A Santiago Mint Columnario

After I purchased the coin at an HA auction, I decided to send it off to NGC. It was NGC who determined it was a counterfeit. This opinion was backed-up by that of an well-known expert in Latin American coinage.

 

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I know zero about the series but that coin's appearance would have fooled me. I wonder what red flags it gave off to the experts at NGC.

 

You will find part of the discussion around the counterfeit 1768 Santiago Columnario here:
https://www.coincommunity.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=164299&SearchTerms=santiago,1768

This is an interesting discussion for anybody with an interest in Spanish Colonial 8 Reales coinage.

 

Thanks for posting the link and it's a fascinating discussion by experts on these coins. What impressed me is that sophisticated counterfeiters will melt down common 8 reales coins and use the silver to make a counterfeit of a rare coin. That way the silver composition will be accurate and beat testing.

 

very clear for the age. Good job finding it

 

Amazing @Eduard !

Congratulations

 

The assayer, according to Pellicer, is probably Juan Infante 1760-1767. Ensayadores, Las Emisiones Monetarias Hispanicas (Siglos XV - XX), Josep Pellicer i Bru, published by Asociación Numismática Española, Barcelona 2010.

I can't remember what I paid for my copy (new), but I have a feeling it may have been some 60 euros - tremendous value, it is my bible, I would easily have paid several times more.