An unusual Mexican 8 Escudos in the upcoming Heritage auction...

MrEureka

Your thoughts, please.

savoyspecial

regional issue?

OchoReales

Contemporary counterfeit? Cool piece!

Aegis3

<< <i>Contemporary counterfeit? Cool piece! >>



Those would be my thoughts.

pruebas

I already read the description, so I will not answer. Very interesting looking piece, though. I have a very good idea who will buy that coin (and its not me).

Hussulo

Thats so crudely done its actually quite cool. Anyone have a link? I'm on my mobile and surfing the web isnt easy.

pmac

This is from the Heritage description.

Carlos III gold Imitation 8 Escudos 1770, Calico 1389, choice toned AU, very bold details, light obverse tooling. Listed by Calico as an indigenous imitation without mintmark or assayer's initials. 26.91 grams with carefully milled edge. A superb example of this fascinating "Indian" coinage and an exact die match to the coin illustrated in Calico, La Onza, page 355.

What is "indigenous imitation" mean? Did the local Aztecs of the time counterfeit the Spanish coin?

3Mark

I see a coin with Andy Lustig written all over it

3Mark

MrEureka

I see a coin with Andy Lustig written all over it

Would I have posted this if I was planning to bid?

TwoKopeiki

Looks to be a contemporary counterfeit - crude "barbaric" local issue used to trade with indigenous population. Locals couldn't read the legend, so care was not given to accuracy in terms of the correct spelling. Calbeto in Compendium De Ocho Reales lists these as "Unskilled Imitations".

Would love to own the one in Andy's post. One of these days I'll start setting aside a coin budget again...

Here are a few of the silver pieces I own:

8 Reales:



1 Real:



Here's a Sheffield Plate (pre-1840) 8 Reales counterfeit with a fudged legend, which shows heavy circulation in the East:

OchoReales

What is "indigenous imitation" mean? Did the local Aztecs of the time counterfeit the Spanish coin? >>




Yes.