1777 Piece of Eight 8 Reale Cut in Half- Counterfeit/ Replica???

[ericthedigger]

I found this yesterday in a field about eight inches down. Looked for the other half for awhile but couldn't find it. It was in an area where I've found other coins dating 1802,1803,1803 but also a few from 1942,1939. I'm guessing it's a replica because of the slight peeling of the plating. Also the way in which it broke almost looks fractured-uncharacteristic of silver. I'm also guessing it's from one of those two time periods. However, I've been wrong many times in the past! Can anyone shed some light on this for me? Whatever it is- it was fun finding it!!!

 

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[Iron Patch]

I think you're right on, a contemporary counterfeit. Some real thick plating on that to survive so well.

 

[Bill D. (VA)]

Definitely a period counterfeit similar to one I found a couple of years ago. Still a nice find.

 

[Iron Patch]

Had the coin been whole, and the plating all there, at first glance, or maybe even 2nd or 3rd, it would have looked like a much less common struck counterfeit and not a cast one. Which now brings up a question I never really thought about... I wonder if they struck reales in copper and then plated them. Can't see why that couldn't have happend, so guess I should no longer assume a plated coin is cast.... even though it usually is.

 

[romeo-1]

That's a great find...tough one to cross off the list being a counterfeit!

 

[Mackaydon]

IP:
One of the reasons the US accepted Mexican silver coins till 1857 was their consistency of metal content.
I don't think you need be concerned with undervalued coins coming from the Mexican City mint.
Don....

 

[Iron Patch]

IP:
One of the reasons the US accepted Mexican silver coins till 1857 was their consistency of metal content.
I don't think you need be concerned with undervalued coins coming from the Mexican City mint.
Don....

It's not the mint I'd be concerned about, it would be everyone else that was making coins!

 

[Mach1Pilot]

A period counterfeit is a really cool find!

 

[terpfan]

A contemporary counterfeit makes a welcome addition to any collection. Congrats.

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Nice finds!

Our modern clad and zincs often look like that and they haven't been in the ground that long!

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Nevertheless, an interesting find!

 

[BuckleBoy]

That's a GREAT find! The coin was made in the 1700s as a counterfeit. Nice 230 year old piece of history there!

 

[hogge]

Pretty kool looking date. Straight "1" and all three 7's are slanted every whicha' way! What is left of "Gratia" is spaced between each second letter. Not uniformally. Even if the coin was whole, could easily be spotted as CFT. Kool find. Hogge

 

[Derek752]

Is it solid silver ?

 

[Mackaydon]

If it were, it, too,would be a counterfeit.
Don...

 

[Derek752]

I asked because I once dug a counterfeit which was silver plated and inside was like pot metal.

 

[CASPER-2]

A lot of counterfeiting took place in Ma./New England - a lot of hunters don't realize the amounts of counterfeit coppers that are out there - some guy doing research wrote a paper pretty much saying that like 75% of the colonial coppers out there are counterfeited - meaning not issued by government - Ive seen old town maps that actually state "counterfeiters cave" on them - I think some early 70s TH'ers found a cash of counterfeit silvers in W. Ma. near one such cave when I was a kid starting out - cool finds but they had just a little silver in/on them - but some are still very collectable

Had the coin been whole, and the plating all there, at first glance, or maybe even 2nd or 3rd, it would have looked like a much less common struck counterfeit and not a cast one. Which now brings up a question I never really thought about... I wonder if they struck reales in copper and then plated them. Can't see why that couldn't have happend, so guess I should no longer assume a plated coin is cast.... even though it usually is.

 

[pepperj]

That's a very nice find, something most will never dig.

 

[ericthedigger]

Thanks everybody for taking a look at this! I'm glad I posted it here. The story this coin could tell! Maybe one day I'll find the other half and re-post it.
P.S. It's not solid silver- just thick silver plating.

 

[46Wheat]

That's a really cool find