Coin and Paper Money Collecting/coin origin and value

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Expert: - 10/25/2011


Question
hello,
respected sir,

I have a coin named on one side of it is DEI.GRATIA..FERDIN.VII.1814
and the other side showing .HISPAN.ET IND.REX.8R.J.J.
can you please tell me what do all these things mean?

Answer
Hi Ankur,
The wording basically means Ferdinand VII, king of Spain and territories. The 8R stands for "8 reales", the denomination. These were also made in smaller denominations like 1/2 real, 1 real, 2 reales and 4 reales. The JJ is the assayer mark. These are the initials of the person who was responsible for making sure the coin is the correct weight and silver purity.
There would also be a symbol that looks like a small O on top of a large M, which is the Mexico City mint mark. Coins with this design were made at different palces, the mint mark and assayer mark is what is used to identify origin.
Thanks for the question! =)

Coin and Paper Money Collecting

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Dmitry Livshits

Expertise

My specialty is world coins from the 18th to 20th centuries, primarily non-US foreign coins and related areas such as errors and exonumia (tokens, medals, etc.). I can answer questions relating to identification, grading, selling, preservation and evaluation of such items. In addition to catalog value, I can give you the practical market value and trends for specific types of coins. I will also take questions regarding counterfeits (both modern and antique) and on how to identify them. I am NOT knowledgeable in paper money/banknotes, ancient or "shipwreck" coins. Thank you.

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Collector of world coins since early childhood. Access to a variety of auction records and reference material. You can also find me on Facebook.

Education/Credentials
A.S. in Psychology (2006), B.A. in Forensic Psychology (2008), M.A. in Forensic Psychology (2011).

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