File:Mexico Stacks Jan15-1267o.jpg

This specimen was lot 1267 in Stacks-Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2015), where it sold for $___. The catalog description^[1] noted, "MEXICO. War of Independence. Oaxaca. Struck Real, 1812. cf.KM-167 (for cast type); cf.Cal-Type-333#1188 (for cast type). Struck in silver whereas this issue is always encountered as cast silver. Pilar Gonzalez Gutierrez (Cracion de casa de moneda en Nueva Expana) pg.146 states that a small minting press was functioning, but for unknown reasons, it was a failure. Presumably at this point struck coinage was used as a "Madre" or "Mother coin" for casting. Some very noticeable features on the dies used to strike this example have clearly transferred to the mold for the cast coinage. Most notably the double punched "O" after the large "F" for Ferdinand. The first example this cataloger has seen in more than 20 years of cataloging Mexican coinage. Reliable sources report the existence a single example of the half real struck in silver. To our knowledge no example of the 8 Reales has ever surfaced in struck form. EXTREMELY RARE and possibly UNIQUE. Moderately circulated. Purchased privately from Mike Dunigan."