Colombian 1820 8 reales question about weight.

ormandh · July 1, 2009 11:31PM

What if the weight is 1.7 grams heavier than the listed weight of 23 grams? It seems to be genuine with old grafitti and all. Any ideas?

This is my auction. I saw no problems with it, but if I need to cancel it, let me know. Thanks.
Ebay auction

ASUtodd · July 1, 2009 11:50PM

I do know that most tolerances for 8 reales is about 4%, according to sites and books I have looked at on them. If adhering to that philosphy 1.7 grams would be outside of the tolerances. One of the places I get this info is from here, http://www.columnarios.com/fakes.htm . I'm not sure if this weight info would apply to your series of 8 reales, but it's all the info I could find for you.

HoledandCreative · July 2, 2009 3:43AM

IMO Looking at the picture your coin looks way too good to me to be anything but genuine. What would the point be in making a coin too heavy using same silver as a real one? Whoever made that coin worked for the mint. The penalties for counterfeiting in other countries were at least a slap on the wrist with a machete. If I were interested in that coin, I'd buy and resell with a lifetime guarantee without hesitation.

ormandh · July 2, 2009 4:17AM

Thanks guys. I may try to take some different photos. They looked fine until I uploaded them to ebay. The edge is the chain type and it looks fine. The coin as a whole is definitely the period. The graffiti on the surface is barely noticeable, but the lettering resembles writing from that period, especially the flourishes of each individual letters.

CIVITAS · July 2, 2009 7:14AM

Is the coin actually as yellowish as it appears in the photos? It could be a contemporary counterfeit made of debased silver.

CIVITAS · July 2, 2009 7:20AM

Actually, I just checked Restrepo and your coin appears to have the same bust punch as Tipo 157-1. Different die, but same bust. The weight range listed for this issue is 20.5-24.5 g. and diameter of 37-40mm. I think it's an official issue.

ASUtodd · July 2, 2009 7:31AM

Good find Civitas. I knew that the link I had for weights may not apply to this series. Glad you cleared this up!!

ormandh · July 2, 2009 1:10PM

Thanks Josh! I need to take some better pictures of that coin. I am using a different lens and for some reason all of the colors are off.

Colombian 1820 8 reales question about weight.

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