Spanish Reale?

[Teamroper]

I found this "coin" in an area that is known to have been used by both sides during the Civil War. There was actually a little skirmish here at one time. I found one musket ball in this area and another MDer found a couple of Indian Head pennies and a V-nickel. First off, the first two pics are of the coin that I found. The last pic is of what I think it is. After looking through the internet I have found out this much. It is probably a Spanish Dollar dated somewhere between 1788-1808.



What bothers me is two things. First, is that it is covered with patena. It is almost all green. I can clearly make out the (4) i's on the top left hand corner behind the head. I know that it looks like (3)i's but there is definitely four when you look at it from a different angle. If I hold it at a certain angle I can see the complete outline of the bust. You can just barely make out one of the letters on the right hand side but that is it. My second problem is this. There is no visible writing or images on the backside of this coin, as you can see from the pic.



According to the descriptions that I have found online this "coin" is made of silver but I didn't think that it would have this much "green" on it if it was. To me it looks like it would be made out of copper or bronze but I can't find out any info backing up this speculation. It is very heavy and as you can tell there is a hole drilled in the middle of it. Ironically, I almost threw this "thing" away. I thought it was a knockout from an electrical box. If anyone has any info, suggestions or knowledge of this coin please feel free to post away. I would just like to know if it's real or not. I have read where there were conterfeit coins made of this coin. Again, thanks for any help.

 

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[Mackaydon]

Four IIIIs would mean Carlos IIII (1789-1808).
The diameter will tell you the denomination; 1/2R=18mm; 1R=20mm; 2R=28mm; 4R=34mm.
The Spanish Dollar would be an 8R coin of 40mm.
.9027 fine silver; looks real to me.
The mintmark would be on the reverse (obscured) side.
Don.....

 

[Teamroper]

Four IIIIs would mean Carlos IIII (1789-1808).
The diameter will tell you the denomination; 1/2R=18mm; 1R=20mm; 2R=28mm; 4R=34mm.
The Spanish Dollar would be an 8R coin of 40mm.
.9027 fine silver; looks real to me.
The mintmark would be on the reverse (obscured) side.
Don.....

I just measured it and it's 40mm. Gonna buy a scale this afternoon to verify the weight. Thanks for the info.

 

[Bramblefind]

Very cool! It might be a copper or brass counterfeit that was originally plated with silver. That could also explain the hole as that was done to counterfeits to prevent them from circulating.

Great find!

 

[Mackaydon]

I can't understand why anyone would hole a 'dollar coin' therefore, I now have some doubt about its authenticity--just a personal opinion.
Don...

 

[kuger]

I can't understand why anyone would hole a 'dollar coin' therefore, I now have some doubt about its authenticity--just a personal opinion.
Don...

Don,I have found holed half Reals and Half dimes......................

 

[Mackaydon]

Kuger,
Yes, holed in the smallest denomination are more plentiful.
But have you ever seen a 8R that has been holed?
Don.....

 

[kuger]

Kuger,
Yes, holed in the smallest denomination are more plentiful.
But have you ever seen a 8R that has been holed?
Don.....

Ah,I gotcha....Hmmm,interesting point,I will have to look at my higher denominations when I get home

 

[Silver Searcher]

Looks more like a poor impression, made by pushing a real, Reale, into clay, hence the blank back. It also looks slightly dished

SS

 

[Teamroper]

***UPDATE***
Just got back from a coin collector and a coin shop and both said that it was genuine Spanish Reale (Carolus IIII). After my last post I got out my magnifying glass and managed to make out one of the castles on the reverse. Man, was I excited. That's when I went to the "experts" to confirm my suspicions.

I didn't know it at the time but if you take the pic that I posted at the very top and enlarge it you can see the silver peeking through here and there. So to all, thanks for all your help and info. I know that it's not worth anything as a collectible because of the hole and that you can't see any date, but I know that it was made between 1788-1808. To me it's worth a fortune and it beats my next oldest coin by at least 95 yrs. That's what I call a good find.

 

[Mackaydon]

I can hear BCH now saying:
If you feel this is solved,

Go back to your original post,

Click on Modify,

Click on Message icon down arrow,

Click on Solved,

The Green Check will appear

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Im a little late on this one. Its hard to judge from a picture.
Im glad its authentic because they do make period counterfeits.
The Spanish milled dollar, or "piece of eight", was one of the most extensively counterfeited coins of
colonial times.
http://www.counterfeitcoins.com/marc-8reales/Counterfeit-Spanish-Milled-Dollars.html
I might have suggested to look at the edge.
These Spanish Reales have a distinct edging if its not worn off. http://metaldetectingworld.com/coins_silver_reales.shtml



These 8 reales are cool. Is it 8 Reale?
The hole may be to string the coins together because pockets werent popular at the time.
Salt will turn silver black and green..
Pic is from Chagy aboard the Seahunter at Jupiter Inlet.