8 Reales Peru real or counterfeit

Hi I recently got an 8 reales from Peru's Lima mint (1813) with J.P assayers mark on it. It only weighs 26g and I wish to know if it might be a counterfeit. It is made of silver and looks like it has the right edge. Here are pictures

At first glance it looks fine

Hi naveen50

Yes, I agree, the coin seems to be ok. 

Regarding the weight (26.0 gr) it is little less than 4% underweight.

I don't know the legal tolerance established in that time, but as you can see, there was a certain fluctuation …. and if you add wear and tear , differences in weight can be considerable.

Just for comparison, the weight of some of my 8 Reales Fernando VII pieces from Lima:

- 1811 = 26,3 gr (with a repaired perforation)

- 1812 = 27,1 gr

- 1813 = 25,8 gr

- 1816 = 27,1 gr

- 1817 = 27,0 gr

- 1819 = 26,8 gr

- 1820 = 26,7 gr

- 1824 = 24,1 gr (F- / VG)

The only detail that seems strange to me in your piece is the odd REX the reverse; but it could be explained as a “filled die”(?)

Regards

christianvl

 

The only detail that seems strange to me in your piece is the odd REX the reverse; but it could be explained as a “filled die”(?)

Regards

It looks like it's struck over.:

Is it normal for such coins to be struck over? I remember seeing a coin with the R in REX looking like it had a filled die aswell

It looks like a contemporary circulating counterfeit based on the irregular shapes of the circles and squares to one another. With the type of Castaing (edge) machine used see if there is 180* overlapping of the edge devices? Report back. Overview: The edge device used on Charles III’s milled coinage was known in English as the Castaing machine, named after the French engineer Jean Castaing who developed it in the late 17th century. This machine was designed to impress lettering, ornamentation, or reeding onto the edge of coin blanks before they were struck. For the Spanish colonial mints producing the Portrait 8 Reales beginning in 1771, the Castaing machine was adapted to apply the distinctive reeded or corded edge (“cordoncillo”), which became a hallmark of these coins. The uniform edge treatment was a critical innovation, as it prevented clipping (the shaving of silver from the coin’s perimeter) and added a strong anti-counterfeiting safeguard.

In practice, the Castaing machine worked by rolling the planchet between two bars engraved with the desired edge design. As the blank passed through, pressure forced the lettering or reeding into the metal. This process was performed before striking the obverse and reverse designs with the screw press. By combining rolling mills, planchet cutters, the Castaing machine, and screw presses, Spanish mints achieved a fully mechanized workflow that produced coins of consistent weight, diameter, and appearance. The adoption of the Castaing machine in Charles III’s coinage marked Spain’s commitment to modern minting technology, ensuring that the Portrait 8 Reales could serve as a reliable international trade currency and ultimately influence the design of later monetary systems, including the U.S. dollar.