1756 2 reales Mexico City mint - is it real?

Hey All!

I just got back from my honeymoon in Baja, Mexico. On my trip I came across a boutique that had many things made of silver including a small coin section. Among some fakes and eclectic pieces of Mexican coins I find this little gem. I think it’s real but I can not be certain. After buying some silver jewelry he charged me about $25 bucks for the coin. I lent out my scale so I used my food scale To measure the weight. The scale is teetering between 6-7 grams I assume because it’s closer to 6.9. The coin is not magnetic.











Above: Notice the arrow shaped mark on the lower left quadrant of this coin. Is this a counter stamp? Is it just damage?



Above: The coiled edge is an encouraging sign of authenticity.



Above: In this photo the edge seems worn Or it could be a sign of cleaning, even worse forgery.



Thank you for looking and for your responses.

Larry

 

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Question. You paid $25. What is its catalog value - I'm not near my books?

 

I’m not positive but I’m pretty sure it’s fake.

 

It weighed in at 6.43g it looks like it may be an old piece of jewelry. I’m not sure what the book value is but I’ve seen them for over $100 online. The “cast” marks only seem to be visible in the photos. I can’t seem to locate them in person. I’m 50/50 on this but if an expert can weigh in that would be awesome.

 

Sorry for the double post.

It weighed in at 6.43g it looks like it may be an old piece of jewelry. I’m not sure what the book value is but I’ve seen them for over $100 online. The “cast” marks only seem to be visible in the photos. I can’t seem to locate them in person. I’m 50/50 on this but if an expert can weigh in that would be awesome. Please disregard my other thread.

 

I collect in other areas than ancients and have seen and handled many of these pieces. There are so many, many fakes of these coins that extreme caution should be exercised in purchasing them and that does not mean buying them from an established coin shop. They require more than that for authentication. Looking at this coin, admittedly only from a distance and photo, either that image or the coin appears "mushy" to me. What is its weight? Though a two bit coin like this often varied in weight when they were hand struck, hammered pieces, this one was supposed to be a milled coin and that means it should weigh one quarter of the the full piece of eight. Look at the one below I have posted, admittedly not the best quality photo from my cell phone. Looks pretty good. Not too much wear. Fairly smooth surface. No obvious signs of casting bubbles. Nice reeding on the milled edges. Silvery surface. It is negative to the touch of a magnet (not a nickel alloy). It should weigh about 6.77 grams as minted. It doesn't. I It weighs 6.1 grams and that is noticeably under weight. If the mint was turning out 2 reales pieces of this weight consistently, somebody would be in big trouble. This coin resides in my black box of likely fakes. In this case a possibly pressed coin. Bottom line for me is that I would not purchase it as anything other than a another coin for my black cabinet. Yours might turn out to be genuine but its value probably precludes sending it out for authentication. I just prefer not to have a coin in my collection which every time I looked at it I would wonder what it is I have.

 

Please disregard this thread as it has been doubled in this forum. (Or delete)

 

Great reply! What gets me about my coin is the wear. It also has decent pitting which seems uneven and indicates age. The edge seems to have been polished down which can either mean it’s covering a cast or it was once a piece of jewelry. The weight is 6.43 and it is not magnetic. I’m not opposed to accepting this is a fake but if it is, it’s a darn good one.

 

So you really wanted to reel in a real reale, but wonder about its authenticity?

I'm in the ex-jewelry camp (that doesn't mean I think it's genuine, but what do I know ), but the acquisition cost ($25) & merchant source would give me pause... (We've been to Mexico many times...never looking for "deals", but certainly some great trinkets. )

However, I'm with @lordmarcovan on this,...it is a genuine reminder of your special trip, which may provide memories of a lifetime! Congrats! (...but let us know if you get a definitive answer)

 

One wonders if the buyer in China was buying it to use to make counterfeits of.