And the oldest coin in the batch was this
Colonial Mexico 1804 ½ real. Despite the hole, it's a 200+ year old stunner.
The next seven oldest were also Mexican:
- Three copper ¼ reals (1832, 1836 & 183?) that were rather dinged up.
- An 1841-42 one-eighth real (octavo) that was a real challenge to ID, since most of it was worn away.
- 1844 Z ½ real, also holed
- 1881 Zs 50 centavos
- 1890 Go R.R. 8 reales, a heavy silver beauty.
The lady who shared these with me (at least temporarily) told me some of them were passed down from her grandmother who was born in the 19th century. She'll now give them to her teenage grandchildren.
We've had fun discussions about them. She was curious how coins became my passion, similar to her chosen hobby which is jewelry making. I said it's a combination of things, but mostly, it's that a coin is essentially history in my hands, a tangible link to the past, and that imagining who could have handled them over the centuries is fascinating, above and beyond any actual dollar value. When sitting a table with my catalogs, 2x2's, magnifier and a pile of coins, little pleases me more.
Thanks for the guesses guys.
Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2017 8:05 pm
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