(711) The Back Page: Volume 2 Issue 7: Last Revision: 04/02/06
Our mystery writer from eBay, OS2GUY1, returns this issue to give our Mexican Coin Magic readers his spin on collecting the Republican 25 Centavos.
I have collected 25 Centavos from the Mexican Republic Period for over three years now. Soon after I started collecting Mexican Republic 25 Centavos, I was faced with the challenge of unraveling the mystery of what is rare, what is common, what is overpriced, and what is a bargain. Being a former collector of US Seated Liberty coins I was used to the luxury that we collectors of American coins have, a guidebook for each series that lays out in black and white what is rare and what is common. I spent a few months looking in vain for such a book on Republic 25 centavos, but only located Resplandores (which only does this for 8 reales).
I soon became a regular troll on the eBay Mexican coin auctions (OS2GUY1). Gradually I decided that I needed to start keeping records of which coins came up for sale, and how often they came up, so that I would be able to recognize a bargain when I saw one.
I decided to try to fill in the information vacuum by gathering more data on the series. The data gathering effort has been the most exciting numismatic project I have ever engaged in. For the past 3 years I have been accumulating data on the number of 25 Centavos from the Mexican Republic Period that have appeared for sale on the internet, in auctions, advertisements, and at shows I have attended. I track what is made available for sale, what condition it is in, and how much it sells for. I have even accumulated a set of photos of dies for each DAM, and recorded the varieties when I could identify them from the photos.
Since I started collecting such data, I have tracked about 2,000 Mexican Republic 25 Centavo coins. Even though that is a small proportion of the world wide sales for that period, it is still a large enough number of observations that I can start to draw conclusions from my data. After discussing my data with several people, I have come to the following conclusions:
A) I can not yet tell what is rare in this series because rare coins are seldom offered for sale, thus I do not have much data on rare coins in my study. I will have to wait for several more years of data before I can identify rare coins that are at a bargain price.
B) I can not (with complete confidence) yet identify DAMs that are over priced relative to their rarity. I do have enough data on several DAMs to raise suspicions that they are over rated by the collecting public. However it could be that these coins are sold more frequently due to the high prices. A few more years of data collecting will clear this up.
C) While I can not identify over priced coins, I can at least identify high priced coins that are frequently available for sale, thus easily acquired at their current high price.
D) Given my current data, I can WITH CERTAINTY identify the most common DAMs in the series. I will share that data with you in this article.
First, I must say that no DAM in the 25 Centavo series is common in the same sense that American coins of the period are common. Even the most common Mexican Republic 25 Centavo is only offered for sale about twice per month on average (in my experience of tracking sales).
Secondly, I must note that my data will never be able to estimate populations of coins. The common, low priced, and low grade coins are probably not offered in proportion to their numbers, and I am probably not seeing as many of them as I should. I suspect that the common coins are actually more common than my data implies, and the rare coins are probably rarer than my data shows them to be.
Finally, note that while a particular DAM may be common, its various varieties may be quite rare. Do not mistake this article as saying that all varieties of these DAMs are common.
The 25 Centavos from the Republic Period generally are more easily available in better conditions than are most dates of 50 Centavos. The 25 Centavo coins circulated long and hard, but more of them were made, allowing for survival of more pristine examples of many dates.
This is a very good time to be a collector of this series because at the moment there does not seem to be a lot of interest in it. Currently more collectors are interested in the 2 Real series than the 25 Centavos; so many tough 25 Centavo pieces can be had for less than $20, with very little competition from other bidders. Most lower grade 25 Centavos pieces can be purchased for $5 including shipping. Almost nobody (other than my self it seems) bothers to look for rare varieties in this series.
Collecting 25 Centavos can be fun for a beginner. Many dates have mintages over 25,000 pieces, which results in easy availability for most of the DAMs, and low prices for many in the lower grades. On the other hand, you have availability from time to time of examples in XF to BU for those who pursue quality. There are also many very rare dates in the series, for those who like a challenge.
The rare DAM’s do not come cheap, despite the lack of interest in the series. When rare DAMs are put up on auction, especially in VF or higher, the prices can exceed $1,000.
In this article I will address availability, grade rarity, and strike quality for a number of dates that I have been able to track enough data on over the past 3 years.
I classify the availability of DAMs by the number of sales (I’ve seen) in the past three years. Another note of caution to the reader would be to keep in mind that many of the coins I list as ‘COMMON’ might only have a few thousand examples that exist. They are only ‘COMMON’ in the current market conditions, where the series in not in favor. If there are only 1,000 coins that exist of a DAM but only 100 current collectors, the coin may be common, but probably also an excellent buy at today’s prices.
Most Common– 40 or more examples observed available for sale
Very Common – 30 to 39 examples observed available for sale
Pretty Common – 20 to 29 examples observed available for sale
Common– 10 to 19 examples observed available for sale
Most Common:
None
Very Common:
1886 MoM All Grades common in AU and BU Good strikes
1887 MoM Grades XF or lower Available but tougher in BU Good strikes
1877 ZsS Grades XF or lower Available but tougher in AU Good strikes
1885 ZsS Grades AU or lower Available but tougher in BU Good strikes
1886 ZsS Grades XF or lower Good strikes
Pretty Common:
1876 GoS Grades VF or lower Available but tougher in XF Good strikes
1879 GoS Grades XF or lower Good strikes
1880 GoS Grades VF or lower Good strikes
1881 GoS Grades VF or lower Available but tougher in BU Good strikes
1882 GoS Grades XF or lower Good strikes
1883 GoB Grades AU or lower Good strikes
1884 GoB Grades VF or lower Available in XF and AU Good strikes
1888 GoR Grades XF or lower Good strikes
1890 GoR All Grades Good strikes
1872 MoM Grades XF or lower Good strikes
1888 MoM Grades XF or lower Available but tougher in BU Good strikes
1878 ZsS Grades XF or lower Available but tougher in AU Good strikes
1883 ZsS Grades VF or lower Good strikes
1888 ZsZ Grades XF or lower Available but tougher in BU Good strikes
Common:
1888 CnM Grades VF or lower Available but tougher in AU
1890 DoC Grades AU or lower Good strikes
1870 GoS Grades XF or lower
1871 GoS Grades AU or lower Good strikes
1873 GoS Grades XF or lower Available but tougher in AU Good strikes
1874 GoS Grades XF or lower Good strikes
1875 GoS Grades AU or lower Weak strikes
1877 GoS Grades XF or lower Good strikes
1878 GoS Grades VF or lower
1885 GoR All Grades Good strikes
1886 GoR Grades VF or lower
1888 GoR Grades XF or lower Good strikes
1879 HoA Grades XF or lower Good strikes
1884 HoM Grades XF or lower Available but tougher in BU Good strikes
1873 MoM Grades AU or lower Good strikes
1875 MoB Grades AU or lower Good strikes
1877 MoM Grades XF or lower Available but tougher in BU Good strikes
1880 MoM Grades Fine or lower Available but tougher in BU Weak strikes?
1881 MoM Grades VF or lower Available but tougher in BU Good strikes
1883 MoM Grades AU or lower Available but tougher in BU Good strikes
1884 MoM All Grades Good strikes
1885 MoM Grades XF or lower Good strikes
1889 MoM All Grades Good strikes
1870 ZsH Grades Fine or lower
1871 ZsH Grades VF or lower
1872 ZsH Grades XF or lower Good strikes
1873 ZsH Grades Fine or lower Available but tougher in XF
1874 ZsA Grades AU or lower Good strikes
1875 ZsA Grades XF or lower
1879 ZsS Grades XF or lower Available but tougher in BU Good strikes
1880 ZsS Grades XF or lower Available but tougher in BU Good strikes
1881 ZsS Grades VF or lower
1882 ZsS Grades VF or lower
1884 ZsS Grades XF or lower Good strikes
1887 ZsZ Grades XF or lower Available but tougher in BU Good strikes
1889 ZsZ Grades VF or lower Available but tougher in BU Good strikes
1890 ZsZ Grades XF or lower Available but tougher in AU Good strikes
Note: All rights are reserved by the author. Do not publish without express consent from the author.
[Home Page] Return to Mexican Coin Magic Home Page