Mapping the Madness: A Collector’s Guide to Mexico City Portrait 8 Reales Varieties
TwoKopeiki
Posts: 9,772 ✭✭✭✭✭
After years of collecting, researching, and uncovering new varieties, I’m excited to share what I hope becomes a living reference for fellow enthusiasts: a complete date-by-date breakdown of all known - and yet-to-be-discovered - Mexico City Portrait 8 Reales varieties. This is 8 Reales Madness in its purest form. Whether you’re hunting your first variety or your fiftieth, this list is here to guide, challenge, and maybe even inspire your next big find.
Ever since I started collecting Mexico City Portrait 8 Reales varieties about a decade ago, I’ve held a consistent belief: with every major design change—be it a new date, assayer, or monarch—there’s a high likelihood that existing dies were reworked by the mint’s die sinkers to reflect the update.
Mexico City produced millions of 8 Reales during this period, and knowing the approximate die lifespan of 20,000–30,000 strikes, it’s safe to estimate that anywhere from 50 dies in the earlier years to over 250 dies in the peak production years were used annually. Considering how labor-intensive die sinking was—and the fact that die steel was a scarce and valuable commodity - it makes sense that working dies would be re-punched or modified rather than discarded when minor changes occurred.
This idea has shaped how I collect. I’ve always kept an open mind that not all varieties are yet known—some just haven’t surfaced. And by following that principle, I’ve been fortunate to uncover a number of new varieties over the years.
If you’ve spotted a variety not listed—or think you’ve uncovered something new - drop a comment or DM me. Let’s document it together. Every new discovery helps complete the story.
Let the Madness begin!
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👑 Carlos III (1772–1788) - Major Varieties
The Portrait 8 Reales series begins with Carlos III, whose reformed coinage introduced the bust design to align with Enlightenment-era aesthetics and the Bourbon push for modernization.
8 Reales Madness Collection
👑 Carlos III (1772–1788) - Minor Varieties and other oddities.
8 Reales Madness Collection
👑 Carlos IV (1789–1808) - Major Varieties
Under Carlos IV, Mexico City's minting output soared—marking the peak of colonial silver production. Frequent changes in date punches, assayers, and portrait styles make this era a goldmine for variety hunters. Many overdates and repunched features trace back to this reign’s massive die use.
8 Reales Madness Collection
👑 Carlos IV (1789–1808) - Minor Varieties and other oddities.
8 Reales Madness Collection
👑 Ferdinand VII (1808–1821) - Major Varieties
Ferdinand VII’s reign spans one of the most turbulent periods in Mexican history—marked by war, independence, and shifting allegiances. His coinage reflects that chaos, with rushed engraving, recycled dies, and rare transitional types that keep even the most seasoned collectors on their toes.
8 Reales Madness Collection
👑 Ferdinand VII (1808–1821) - Minor Varieties and other oddities.
8 Reales Madness Collection
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8 Reales Madness Collection
Ya ever wonder how many fingertips or worse were lost using this type of screw press?
Every time i see a weird strike-through...
8 Reales Madness Collection
How could i forget @Senator32 's 1779!
8 Reales Madness Collection
Bump with a few updates
8 Reales Madness Collection
Added a few more Mexico dates
8 Reales Madness Collection