Abuelo's Collection

Here we go. Just got it last week. This amazing 1 escudo from Mexico is one of the highest graded for the whole 1 escudo series (milled) during Colonial times. It is both a conditional and an absolute rarity. Enjoy!

I just got these 3 colourful 25 centavos from Mexico. All Top Pops, rare, and good looking:

Thank you Jason. It is already graded by our host, AU55.

Hello! I have not uploaded a coin to the forums for a while but I am very happy for this one. A 50 centavos from the Second Republic in Mexico. And from a provincial mint! And nicely toned! So hard to get in nice condition. Enjoy!

Yes @EdG_Ohio in the early manuscripts like the Tovar Ramirez codex, there is an eagle devouring a bird! The current official arms include a rattlesnake, but that is a mid XX century design. XIX century coins do not show a rattlesnake. In fact I do not think that is until the stilised eagle from the 1970s that is finally seen a rattlesnake as a matter of common use.

Hookneck 8 escudos! There are 2 varieties of this coin, this is Type II, the rarest of them (the Phrygian cap points to the T, and the snake has a loop on the tail). Both Hubbard and O'Harrow on their book Hookneck, and Long in his book on the gold coins of the Mexican Republc, mentioned that there are maybe less than 24 known coins. And everyone agrees this is a very rare issue for Mexican numismatics. The dies for their mintage were ready until December 24, 1823, so technically they had less than a month to produce these coins. Hubbard and O'Harrow list a total of 16 offerings for the Type II coin between 1935 and 1995. Long lists 24 sales for Type II coins between 1935 and 2004. Likely few times the same coins are listed. That has to give an idea of how rare this coin is. The year 1823 was the only one that minted Hookneck 8 escudos.

@Quintus Arrius you have a point, but the odds of finding a much better Second Republic 50 centavos are very slim. And even if you do, they are so rare that is hard to believe the few gem examples that exist will drop in value. Cheers!

Low mintage (165,000) and gem grade. A killer combination! It is not that much of a rarity like my previous coin, but is a magnificent specimen.

In our favourite section “Coins you have never seen before, coins you are not likely to see ever again”, this specimen. Coins from the Early Series of the Charles and Johanna series for Mexico City are all rare, particularly lower denominations as the 4 reales were minted in larger numbers to ship to Spain. Assayer F is perhaps the rarest of all assayers in the series. His name and tenure dates are unknown. Cori Sedwick Downing in her paper “The Charles and Joanna Coinage of Mexico City, 1536-1571: A Research Study on the Early Series and Introduction to the Late Series” (unknown to me the date of publication) wrote that Assayer F minted ½, 1, 2, and 4 reales. “There are approximately 26 coins known in collections and auctions, with the majority from the “Golden Fleece wreck” (ca. 1550), one from the “Ines de Soto wreck” (ca. 1557), and none from the Spanish 1554 Fleet (Padre Island)”. She describes the main type of 1-real coins: Latin M-F flanking shield and left-leaning rhomboid banner between pillars. In her paper “An Overview of Charles and Johanna Coinage from Mexico City Mint” (USMexNA Journal 2017) she wrote ”I have cataloged only 36 Assayer F coins, in all denominations”. As we can see, there were few more coins described between both papers. Kent Ponterio in his paper “The Coinage of Mexico Struck During the Reign of Charles and Johanna” (revised June 2009) he stated that Assayer F is the third assayer of the Early Series. “Coins of this assayer are anywhere from extremely rare to unique” and suggests he was an interim assayer sometime in 1540 or 1541. He suggests 3 possible candidates: Francisco de Loaysa, Esteban Franco (also favoured by Ms Downing), or less likely, Francisco Rodriguez (from the Santo Domingo mint). As of today, is the only real graded by NGC for the assayer and type, therefore Top Pop.

Mexico City 2 reales. Tough denomination in high grade. Nearly impossible series.

I got my Kennedy and my book today. Thank you @ProfHaroldHill you really outdid yourself today! Thank, thank you, thank you!

After all, it did not sale.

Welcome back! And keep up with the fight!

Thanks @ProfHaroldHill that is awesome!

Awesome, thanks!

Nice, and growing in popularity.

The website still mentions that is going to happen...

Not a surprise.

I do not think they lied. They have been given advice based on fluid data, on a subject that 14 months ago was completely unknowns. I think they have done a great job under the circumstances. In any event, IF you elect to go, be careful. Think of the 2 deaths per minute that we are seen in the US, and the fact that hospitals ICUs are getting full (making a survivable disease in theory, not survivable as there will be no place to put you despite your BCBS/Humana/Kaiser/TriCare/United/Medicare BTW no-commercial for any of these). Just be careful. Do not get sick and do not get others sick.

Hepatitis C for instance, is curable. Cytomegalovirus can be cured. The list goes. That is just a couple of examples. But for the large majority of viral infections, prevention is more important.

Yes, I know people that died from the virus. Sad but true. I too know people hospitalised with the virus that were lucky enough to survive. Also, while the WHO might have issues with lockdown, they do not favour large meetings. I wish all of you good luck, but I pass. I want to be sure I do not get sick, or pass the virus to someone else. The idea of making someone else frightens me.

I our beloved section "Coins you have never seen before, coins you are not likely to see again" I present you this Mexico City half real. Half reales are common coins, but the thin that makes it special is that PCGS has not graded any other higher for the entire series. Yes, not just is PCGS top pop for the year/mint/assayer but for the half real series. Note however that NGC has graded one a point higher (bummer). Anyway, here I leave you with this little jewel:

Happy and safe Thanksgiving to everyone!

A relatively common date, with a mintage of 436,000 pieces. People are well acquainted with the Cap and Rays 8 reales from Mexico, but at the same time there was also decimal coinage being produced. Mexico City 25 centavos, 1886 NGC 65:

Another one from the Mexico City mint...