Hi all... This just came out of a great uncles safe deposit box. It is a 1751 8 Reales from Mexico. Does anyone have any ideas why so much of the rim might be chewed away? I know this is technically a pieces-of-8, but the missing sections seem so small. Could they have been used for partial value? Or, did this one just see a tough life? Any insight is appreciated.
Some people use to clip off or file off pieces of silver and gold coins. Eventually they would collect enough to amount to something. This could be the case for that coin.
That's an interesting coin. Do you have the weight? It has had a tough life. The shield side seems to have had silver chiseled off. I don't think they are test marks, since only one would suffice to detected a base metal core, but on the other hand perhaps someone just got carried away or had a bad day at the office.
