Expert: Dmitry Livshits - 11/14/2009

Question
Hello again Dmitry. Thank you again for helping on the other coins. I have one more for you. This one is silver. It is the size of a dime. It is in good to fine condition and has what appears to be a woman on the obverse though it could be a man. The writing around the obverse is "CAROLUS.IIII" on the let upper side. The right sie is hard to read. Maybe "DA.GRATIA." Then the date is clear 1809. The rear has a shield with a crown on top of it in the center. The writing is " IND  R.M.F.T.  HISPAN.ET "
I am guessing Spanish or British since most of the coins inthe collection I told you about are from those areas.
It is fascinating going through this box and looking at coins that have not been looked at since the guy that owned them died in the 60's. There are about 300 coins in te box and all are in mylars or plastic cases. The first 3 coins I pulled out of the box paid for what I spent on the entire lot. I know about the US coins but I took a gamble on the foreign stuff and it appears to be paying off. I have also pulled out some commerative half dollars that are mint from the 1920's thaqt are worth up to $950.
I also, after talking with you, pulled out 3 more of the 1739 Spanish dollars. 1 is mint and is definitely full silver weighing in at about 28 grams. The other 2 are in circulated but great condition and also appear to be genuine. I have also found another one of the german 5 marks that I sent you a question on.

But enough rambling. When you get time, can you tell me about the cin and what it would be worth. Thanks again for yur time.


Answer
Todd, your gamble turned out a treasure box that collectors like myself can only dream about. Truly something that never happens twice!

This is a 1 real or reales from Mexico. The bust is of a man, Charles (Carlos) IIII. Based on your description it's likely an F-VF coin, since these are all fairly crude and grading is liberal.

You actually have an 1802 coin. The 2 is stylized with a circular top loop that often looks like a 9, but will have the tail bar of a 2. The FT on the shield side is the initials of the metal assayer. In 1809 these initials would be TH.

Typically counterfeits are of the larger 4 and 8 reales pieces. These are readily available on the market and I have yet to see a single counterfeit. A practical price on a mid grade coin is in the $20 to $30 range.

Thanks again!