Expert: Dmitry Livshits - 6/25/2010

Question
QUESTION: I have an 1808 Carolus IIII 8 Reale coin, with a Mexico mint mark on the reverse. The obverse has the profile of Carolus IIII, and to the right of the nose there appears to be a relief of an island. I have not seen this on any coins, so I'd like to know if its part of this design, an anomoly, or a defect. I am including an image of the obverse.

Thanks in advance

ANSWER: Hi George,
That is the result of either a die-chip or lamination error. The former is just a small piece of metal breaking off from the die and causing the little lump on the surface. The latter is when the surface material laminates and puffs up rather than staying flat. Either of these are normal for these coins and for early silver coins in general. It may affect the value in the mind of a novice collector, but would have no negative bearing on value for a seasoned collector of these kinds of coins.
One important thing to note - when I see extra pieces of material on the surface I strongly encourage that the coin be weighed on a digital scale to make sure the weight is correct. Counterfeit coins made by casting will often have extra chunks of material as well. The difference is that on a genuine error coin it will usually be one or two such marks. A cast counterfeit will have small signs of this sort of thing in several places, especially where the details are very small and fine.
Thanks for the question! =)

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you very much, Mr. Livshitz. The coin has no other "extra" material on it. The reverse has 2 chop marks. I weighed the coin on a digital jeweler's scale and it weighs 26.6 grams. Is this an acceptable weight? I am enclosing a pic of the reverse. Thank you again for your patience and kind advice.

Answer
Hi again George,
The weight of 26.6 grams is correct for this coin. Considering the amount of wear, I would be very suspicious if it did weigh the full 27 grams. The chop marks are interesting in that they add historical context (though these would have no significant effect on value). These coins were used all over the world and many times it is not possible to tell exactly where. Merchant chop marks like this are common and indicate it was used in the Oriental trade. An official counter-mark by a foreign government would have made it much more valuable, but those are also a lot harder to come by.
Thanks again for the questions! =)