(909) Feature Article: Volume 2 Issue 9: Last Revision: 08/15/06

 

The Republican Silver Minor Reales

Part 2: The 2 Reales

By Dave Busse, Erik Bedolla, Kirk Menczer, and Ralph Poucher

 This is the second installment, of a four part series by several members of the Mexican Coin Magic staff. Our purpose is to introduce the Mexican Republic Minor Silver Reales to new collectors. Most of these coins, except maybe the 4 Reales, are quite collectable for several reasons: First, many are easy to find in lower-grades. The vast majority of them are very cheap as most can’t be found in high-grade because they were the coins of “day-to-day” commerce in Mexico, and in the United States of America until the 1860s.  While there are a few “classic” rarities, there are also many “hidden rarities”, and a few outrageously rare coins known only to the advanced collectors in each series simply because today’s catalogers have almost completely ignored these coins since the Buttrey & Hubbard Guide Book ceased to be published. This allows the collectors armed some good information to still “cherry-pick” highly desirable coins from public auctions, dealers stock and even junk boxes.

When this series of articles is complete hopefully you will have acquired enough basic information about collecting these five denominations to allow you to become a knowledgeable collector and to be able to recognize at least some of the rarities.

It is now time to look at the Mexican Republic Silver Minor 2 Reales… 

Standard Design Features of the Cap & Ray Silver Reales

Most of the Republican Cap & Ray silver reales have many DAMs and we also find several major and many minor style changes, plus an untold number of varieties, as well as a few error coins to interest even the most discriminating collector. One could probably spend a “long” lifetime looking for varieties and still never complete the task for any of the long series of Mexican Republic Silver Minor Reales.  However, there are some common design features that are seen in the 2 Reales: 

The Obverse: features the ancient Aztec symbol of victory; an eagle grasping a snake in its beak and its right claw while using the other leg to stand on a cactus above a stone that is rising out of Lake Texcoco. Below and to the right are laurel branches with leaves and berries; to the left are oak branches with leaves and acorns. The legend around the top half of the outer perimeter of the coin normally reads REPUBLICA MEXICANA. Sometimes there is a dot after MEXICANA, and sometimes there is not.

The Reverse: features a Phrygian Cap with the word LIBERTAD (Liberty) in letters across its base. Extending out from behind the Cap are the sun’s Rays. Thus, the design signifies the dawning of liberty (freedom from Spanish rule) in Mexico. The Reverse legend normally reads “ê Denomination (4R, or 2R). Mintmark. Date. Assayer Initials. Fineness.”. For example a Zacatecas 2 Reales minted in 1830 would read: ê 2R. ZS. 1830. O.M. 10 DS. 20 GS. Note that there were many variances from mint to mint, and even year to year within an individual mint, which many collectors of each series find fascinating.

The Edge Design: Usually the edge design is referred to as ornamental, but there are several exceptions and different designs from mint to mint.

The Fineness: is always expressed as “10 DS 20 GS” (with the DS and GS being abbreviations for Dineros and Granos) and is found as part of the legend on the Cap side of the coin. Twelve Dineros is pure silver and each Dinero is divided into 24 Granos thus it is 10 of a possible 12 Dineros plus 20/24 of another Dinero (when added together it comes to nearly 11/12) and calculates (260 ÷ 288) to 0.9027% silver in a decimal system.

The Silver Cap & Ray 2 Reales

While preparing this article and comparing approximately 150 different 2 Reales DAMs we discovered some interesting differences and anomalies in the design features of these coins. These include the “stops” or dots used to separate the legends; most of the early 2 Reales used a Mid-Level Dot and sometime during the ensuing years of production converted to a Low-Level Dot. However this isn’t always the case as some mints continued to use the Mid-Level Dots or a mixture of both throughout production.

Another interesting feature is the “Star” generally found before the denomination (2R). Normally we find a “Five-Point Star”, but at other times a “Six-Point Star” and sometimes an unusual “Eight-Point Star” as found on most on the Guadalajara 2 Reales and some of those from Guanajuato. There are several dies, for different 2 Reales, where the “Star” is incomplete and it has the appearance of a “V” in different positions, and even a couple with no “star”.

The Eagles found on the different 2 Reales also present many contrasts for the  2 Reales collector. These include the Hookneck Style, the Soho Style, the Sonora Style, the early Mexico City Facing Eagle Style, the unique early Eagles from Chihuahua, Guadalajara, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosi and Zacatecas which at first glance might be thought to be the same, but once studied closely are each much different.       

The silver 2 Reales is another long series of Republican coins and they are similar in many ways to their smaller brothers the ½ and 1 Real issues. As with the smaller real coins, most catalogs and collectors recognize only two “major” styles for the Republican 2 Reales, the Hookneck Style and the Mexican Facing Eagle Style. However there are several other styles, which should interest the “2 Reales Style Type Collector”. While the majority of the 2 Reales DAMs use an Eagle similar to the early Mexico City Style Eagle there are a multitude of other Eagle Styles found on the 2 Reales.

Like the smaller denominations there are many ways to collect silver 2 Reales, but as usual the most popular method is still the Denomination Type Collector. This Type Collector shouldn’t have too many problems finding one nice Mint State example because of several hoard dates.  Again, like the smaller silver Reales, beyond the hoard dates life becomes more complicated as some DAMs and many varieties are extreme rarities, especially in high-grade. 

Unlike the smaller silver Real issues, only Oaxaca, of 14 Republican Mints, did not produce silver 2 Reales. Several Republican mints produced the coin frequently, others only sporadically. A few of the Republican silver 2 Reales are extreme rarities, especially in grades above Fine, supporting the argument that they were commonly used in day-to-day business. Silver 2 Reales were minted from 1824 until 1870 and there are several 2 Reales thought to be contemporary counterfeits/fakes.

Finding high-grade (Extra Fine or better) silver 2 Reales – some dates and mints – is a problem for the dos reales collector. Because there are several very advanced DAM and Varity Collectors for this series we have seen public auction prices of over $15,000 for rare and high-grade specimens when they do surface. As would be expected, the two Hookneck Style 2 Reales, the Do 1824 RL from Durango, and the Mo 1824 JM from Mexico City are considered to be “Key Coins” for the series. According to Clyde Hubbard and David O’Harrow in Hookneck, the Do 1824 RL has at least four varieties and the Mo 1824 JM has at least three varieties. While not as rare as some of the other Hookneck coins, the Hookneck 2 Reales is usually found in grades of Fine or less, making one wonder what price would be paid for a nice high-grade specimen in today’s market. The one below brought $4,000 in a Heritage Fun Sale in December 2004.

 

In the past the 2 Reales DAM Collector has had problems just sorting out the total number of these small coins because some are extreme rarities, and there are a number that are unlisted in modern coin catalogs. Additionally there are several contemporary counterfeits and fakes. The silver 2 Reales must be considered to be a large series of Mexican Republic silver coins with at least 250 verified DAMs.

The 2 Reales Variety Collector has more than a difficult task ahead because of the poor quality (low grade) of many 2 Reales found in today’s numismatic market. It is almost impossible to find many of the DAMs or varieties in grades exceeding Fine, thus making full and correct attributions quite difficult.

While preparing this article we have found some very unusual, and for the most part undocumented, Mexican Numismatic Anomalies and Error coins for the Republican 2 Reales. While some collectors may consider these trivial, or even insignificant, we’re sure others will find them very interesting.

The Individual Republican Mints 2 Real Series

Alamos (1872): Modern day catalogs list only one date and a single assayer (AM) for the Alamos silver 2 Reales, however all fail to mention this is the last Mexican Republic coin minted using the beautiful Sonora Style dies.

FoxLair#As-1872-1101 DAB

Catorce (1863): This is a very rare One Year Denomination & Mint Type Coin that is almost impossible to acquire in high-grade (Extra Fine or better). There is only one reported variety and it appears that all examples – at least all those we have examined- come from the same set of dies. There is a report from a reliable source that at least one Mint State example is known. However, we have been unable to confirm that as we have not seen the coin, nor do we have any good photographs of it. Inexperienced collectors often overlook the overall rarity of this One Year Denomination & Mint Type Coin, and it is missing from more than one advanced collection of 2 Reales.

FoxLair#Ce-1863-1101 SAC

Chihuahua (1832 to 1855): There are 9 Chihuahua 2 Reales DAM reported; we have sales and photographs verifying 7 of them. There are rumors of several Contemporary Counterfeit 2 Reales from this mint, but they remain unconfirmed.

Assayer Type Collector: This Chihuahua Type Collector has three recorded assayers: MR, AM, and RG.

  1. Assayer MR made 2 Reales for at least three years: 1832, 1833, and 1834. All three DAMs are extremely rare and difficult to find in any grade.

  2. Assayer AM supposedly minted 2 Reales for three years: 1834, 1835, and 1836. At this time we have only been able to fully confirm the CA 1835 AM, and it is excessively rare in any grade.

  3. Assayer RG also minted 2 Reales for three years: 1844, 1845, and 1855. All three DAMs can occasionally be found in low-grades, but high-grade coins are very rare.  

DAM Collector: The Chihuahua DAM Collector has more than a difficult task ahead because of the overall rarity of all of the Chihuahua 2 Reales and the two unconfirmed DAMs.

Denomination Type Collector: There are no known deviations of the denomination on this mint’s 2 Reales.

Style Type Collector: This Chihuahua 2 Reales collector needs two Major styles, even though all of the 2 Reales minted appear to be hand punched. From 1832 to 1836 we see the early Chihuahua Style dies used that are unique to this mint. From 1844 to the end of the series in 1855 we find designs similar to the Mexico City matrixes used during this period. This said, all of my study coins seen to date vary in differing degrees and a case could be made for each being of different style. I find it rather unusual that unlike the other minor silver reales from Chihuahua … we don’t find any 2 Reales using the Soho Style Eagle dies even though the CA 1855 RG uses the Soho Style Cap & Rays die.

Variety Collector: At this time it appears that a single die pair was used for each year in Chihuahua, but this theory can’t be confirmed, at this time, because of the overall rarity of the Chihuahua 2 Reales. Therefore we have recorded no varieties within each DAM.  

Numismatic Anomalies & Errors: It appears there are two previously unrecorded errors for the Chihuahua 2 Reales.  Both are error mintmarks: The first is found on the Chihuahua 1835 2 Reales-- our single study coin for this DAM is missing the superscript “A” in the mintmark. At this time we don’t know if this error was caught and fixed, or if all of the coins from this DAM have this error. A second mintmark error occurs on the CA 1855 RG DAM where we find a colon (:) used after the mintmark instead of a single or triple dot configuration.

Contemporary Counterfeits & Modern Fakes: Currently we can’t conform any contemporary counterfeits or modern fakes for the Chihuahua 2 Reales even though they are rumored to exist.

FoxLair # Ca-1833-1101 DAB

FoxLair# Ca-1835-2101 SAC- Error Mintmark No Superscript "A"

FoxLair# Ca-1855-2101 SAC- Soho Style Cap: Error Mintmark with Colon after "C:"

Culiacan (1846 to 1869): There are 14 Culiacan 2 Reales DAM reported; sales and photographs verify 12 of them. There are rumors of several Contemporary Counterfeit 2 Reales from this mint, but they remain unconfirmed.

Assayer Type Collector: This Culiacan Type Collector has two recorded assayers: CE, and PV.

  1. Assayer CE made 2 Reales from 1846 until 1869. We have confirmed 10 of the 11 reported 2 Reales DAMs from this assayer: 1846, 1847, 1848, 1850, 1851, 1852, 1853, 1854, 1857, and 1869. Several DAMs are extremely rare and the C 1856 CE is still unconfirmed. All are difficult to find in any grade above Very Fine.

  2. Assayer PV minted 2 Reales for two years: 1860 and 1861. Both DAMs are fully confirmed and both can occasionally be found in high-grade.

DAM Collector: The Culiacan DAM Collector has more than a difficult task ahead because of the overall rarity of some of the Culiacan 2 Reales and the one unconfirmed DAM.

Denomination Type Collector: There are no known deviations of the denomination on this mint’s 2 Reales.

Style Type Collector: This Culiacan 2 Reales collector needs only one Major style, because unlike some of the other minor coins from this mint we have found no Sonora Style or Guadalupe y Calvo Style dies used for the 2 Reales, but there are a couple of undocumented style changes. While all of the Culiacan Eagles are similar to their Mexico City counterparts there are a couple that have minor differences and these are noted in the text of The FoxLair Mexican Republic 2 Reales Reference Collection© and on The FoxLair 2 Reales Checklist©. 

Variety Collector: It appears that most years of 2 Reales production in Culiacan used a single die pair, but this theory can’t be confirmed at this time because of the overall rarity of some of the Culiacan 2 Reales. Therefore we have recorded only one year with multiple varieties within that DAM.  

Numismatic Anomalies & Errors: It appears there are no errors found on the Culiacan 2 Reales.  However there are a couple of peculiarities that are noted in the text of The FoxLair Mexican Republic 2 Reales Reference Collection©.

Contemporary Counterfeits & Modern Fakes: Currently we can’t confirm any contemporary counterfeits or modern fakes for the Culiacan 2 Reales even though they are rumored to exist.

FoxLair#Cn-1846-1101 DAB

FoxLair# Cn-1860-2101 SAC

Durango (1824 to 1861): Of the potential 26 Durango 2 Reales DAMs we have recorded sales and photographs to verify 23 of them. There are rumors of several Contemporary Counterfeit 2 Reales from this mint, but they remain unconfirmed.

Assayer Type Collector: This Durango Type Collector has five recorded assayers: RL, RM, CM, JMR, and CP.

  1. Assayer RL made 2 Reales for two years: 1824 and 1826. Both DAMs are from rare to extremely rare and to varying degrees are difficult to find in any grade.

  2. Assayer RM supposedly minted 2 Reales sporadically for 12 years from 1832 to 1849. Many experts believe this final year to be an Error assayer, however others say this isn’t the case. Many of the Assayer RM 2 Reales are rather common in lower grades while others are excessively rare in any grade.

  3. Assayer CM minted 2 Reales for only one (1849) year causing them to be a dreaded “One Year Assayer Type Coin” that is Excessively Rare in grades above Extra Fine.

  4. Assayer JMR apparently created 2 Reales for only two years: 1851 and 1852 even though there are rumors of a DO 1850 JMR that are unsubstantiated.

  5. Assayer CP minted 2 Reales for at least six years: 1854, 1855, 1856, 1858, 1859, and 1861. Some claim Assayer CP is also seen in 1857 & 1860, but those issues are currently unconfirmed by public sales or clear photographs.         

DAM Collector: The Durango DAM Collector has more than a difficult task ahead because of the overall rarity of some of the Durango 2 Reales and the several unconfirmed DAMs.

Denomination Type Collector: There are no known deviations of the denomination on this mint’s 2 Reales.

Style Type Collector: This Durango 2 Reales collector needs four Major styles: Hookneck Style, Early Durango Style, Paris Style and the later Mexico City Facing Eagle Style. However there are several minor style deviations that must be considered interesting and collectable for the advanced 2 Reales collector.

Variety Collector: As with the other coinage from Durango we find several undocumented varieties for the 2 Reales that should interest the collector. In order to complete this collection the collector must find at least 28 different Durango 2 Reales.

Numismatic Anomalies & Errors: It appears there are two previously unrecorded errors in modern catalogs for the Durango 2 Reales.  The first occurs during the first year of production of the Hookneck Style 2 Reales and was pointed out by Clyde Hubbard and David O’Harrow’s in their wonderful book Hookneck published in 1996: This is an error mintmark where the superscript “o” is missing. The next one is also found in 1824 and it is missing the “star” before the “-2R”.

Contemporary Counterfeits & Modern Fakes: Currently we can’t confirm any contemporary counterfeits or modern fakes for the Durango 2 Reales even though they are rumored to exist.

FoxLair# Do-1824-2102 EAB Hookneck- Error Mintmark No Superscript "o" & No Star

FoxLair# Do-1826-1101 SAC- Early Durango Style of 1826

FoxLair# Do-1834-1101 DAB- Paris Style Dies

FoxLair# Do-1858-1101 SAC- Late Durango-Mexico City Style Dies

Estado de Mexico (1828): There is only one reported variety for this very rare One Year Denomination & Mint Type Coin. Also, from our studies it appears that all reported examples come from the same set of dies. There is a reliable report that at least one Mint State example is known; but we have been unable to confirm that as we have not seen the coin, nor do we have any good photographs of it. Inexperienced collectors often overlook this coin, and it is missing from more than one advanced collection of 2 Reales. 

FoxLair# Eo-1828-1101 DAB

Guadalajara (1825 to 1862): Potentially there are 35 Guadalajara 2 Reales DAMs; sales and photographs verify 31 of them. There are rumors of several Contemporary Counterfeit 2 Reales from this mint, but they remain unconfirmed.

Assayer Type Collector: This Guadalajara Type Collector has three recorded assayers: FS, JG, and MC, but there may also be at least one Assayer LP 2 Reales DAM.

  1. Assayer FS made 2 Reales for at least seven years: 1825, 1826, 1828, 1829, 1832, 1833, and 1834. The majority of these DAMs are from rare to extremely rare and difficult to find in any grade. Additionally there are several Mexican Numismatic Anomalies in this assayer’s 2 Reales.

  2. Assayer LP presents a peculiar Mexican Numismatic Anomaly as there are no reported 2 Reales bearing these initials, but there are supposedly 2 Reales for 1833 with the FS/LP OverAssayer. Assayer LP is known to have minted ½ Reales and 8 Reales, but is unconfirmed on any other Guadalajara coinage.

  3. Assayer JG began minting 2 Reales in 1837 and continued making them in many years until 1862. This assayer is reported to have created 19 different DAMs during his tenure.

  4. Assayer MC started producing 2 Reales in 1840 and made five different DAMs until 1845. These include the years of: 1840, 1841, 1843, 1844, and 1845 while skipping 1842 and 1844, which seems rather unusual.     

DAM Collector: The Guadalajara DAM Collector has more than a difficult task ahead because of the overall rarity of all of the Guadalajara 2 Reales and the four unconfirmed DAMs.

Denomination Type Collector: There are no known deviations of the denomination on this mint’s 2 Reales.

Style Type Collector: This Guadalajara 2 Reales collector needs only two Major styles, even though all of the 2 Reales from this mint appear to be hand punched, furthermore there are at least three minor style changes. From 1832 to 1836 we see the early Guadalajara Style dies used that are unique to this mint. From 1844 to the end of the series in 1855 we find designs similar to the Mexico City matrixes used during this period. This said, all of my study coins seen to date vary in differing degrees and a case could be made for each being of different style. 

Variety Collector: Today it appears that a single die pair was made for most years of 2 Reales production in the Guadalajara Mint. But this theory can’t be confirmed, at this time, because of the overall rarity of the Guadalajara 2 Reales. Therefore we have recorded very few varieties within each DAM.  

Numismatic Anomalies & Errors: It appears there are no error coins for the Guadalajara 2 Reales. However, there are a couple of anomalies such as the 1832 FS/LP OverAssayer, the 1859/8 and 1862/1 OverDates reported.

Contemporary Counterfeits & Modern Fakes: Currently we can’t conform any contemporary counterfeits or modern fakes for the Guadalajara 2 Reales even though they are rumored to exist.

FoxLair# Ga-1856-1102 FOX

Guadalupe y Calvo (1844 to 1851): There are reported to be 9 different DAMs for this mint’s 2 Reales; all 9 are verified by photographs or recorded sales.

Assayer Type Collector: There is a single Assayer MP noted for Guadalupe y Calvo 2 Reales, so this collector should be able to find one coin without too much difficulty.

DAM Collector: The Guadalupe y Calvo DAM Collector has more than a difficult task ahead because of the overall rarity of some of the Guadalupe y Calvo 2 Reales.

Denomination Type Collector: There are no known deviations of the denomination on this mint’s 2 Reales.

Style Type Collector: This Guadalupe y Calvo 2 Reales collector needs three styles, even though some may not consider them to be major style changes. Thankfully we don’t find the many different Eagle and Cap & Ray die styles found on the Guadalupe y Calvo 8 Reales.

Variety Collector: Today it appears that a single die pair was made for most years of 2 Reales production in the Guadalupe y Calvo Mint. But this theory can’t be confirmed, at this time, because of the overall rarity of some Guadalupe y Calvo 2 Reales. Therefore we have recorded very few varieties within each DAM.

Numismatic Anomalies & Errors: It appears the only undocumented errors found on this mint’s 2 Reales occur in 1850 and 1851 where there are no “stars” before the “-2R”.

Contemporary Counterfeits & Modern Fakes: Currently we can’t conform any contemporary counterfeits or modern fakes for the Guadalupe y Calvo 2 Reales.

FoxLair# GC-1848-1101 DAB

Guanajuato (1825 to 1868): Potentially there are 47 Guanajuato 2 Reales DAMs; sales and photographs verify all 46 of them. There are rumors of several Contemporary Counterfeit 2 Reales from this mint, but we can confirm only two at this time.

Assayer Type Collector: This Guanajuato Type Collector needs nine assayers: JJ, MJ, MR, JM, PJ, PM, PF, YE, and YF. 

  1. Assayer JJ made 2 Reales for two years: 1825 and 1826. The majority of these DAMs are rare and difficult to find in any grade over Very Fine.

  2. Assayer MJ minted 2 Reales for eight years: 1826 to 1833.

  3. Assayer MR has a single year of verified 2 Reales (1828). There is some question that there might have been some Assayer MR coins minted in 1827 because there are confirmed 2 Reales with the 2nd 8/7 from this assayer.

  4. Assayer JM produced 2 Reales for one year: 1828. This makes Assayer JM a dreaded “One Year Assayer Type Coin” and this one is excessively rare in grades over Fine.

  5. Assayer PJ began minting 2 Reales in 1834 and continued every year until mid-year 1842, for a total of nine years.

  6. Assayer PM started producing 2 Reales in mid-year 1842 and produced them for seven years until mid-year 1848.

  7. Assayer PF was introduced in mid-year 1848 and continued production every year through 1861 for a total of 14 years.

  8. Assayer YE has only one partial year of verified 2 Reales production: 1862. This makes Assayer YE another “One Year Assayer Type Coin” for the Guanajuato 2 Reales.

  9. Assayer YF started 2 Reales production in mid-year 1862 and continued in 1863, 1867, and 1868.    

DAM Collector: The Guanajuato 2 Reales DAM Collector has more than a difficult task ahead because of the overall rarity of several of the Guanajuato 2 Reales DAMs in collectable grades.

Denomination Type Collector: There are no known deviations of the denomination on this mint’s 2 Reales.

Style Type Collector: This Guanajuato 2 Reales collector needs at least five Major styles, plus there are several minor style changes that should interest the serious collector. All of the Guanajuato 2 Reales appear to be made with dies unique to this mint even though some resemble designs similar to Mexico City matrixes used during this period. In my opinion the major die styles are:

Variety Collector: Unlike most of the other Republican mints it appears that many Guanajuato 2 Reales were struck in some years so we see a large number of die pairs for multiple DAMs creating a large number of varieties for this series.

Numismatic Anomalies & Errors: There are several previously unrecorded errors for the Guanajuato 2 Reales including a missing “star” before the denomination in 1828, two different “stars” before the denomination in 1828. An extra dot after the date in: 1834 & 1841 and finally an error mintmark in 1855.

Contemporary Counterfeits & Modern Fakes: Currently we can confirm two contemporary counterfeits and no modern fakes for the Guanajuato 2 Reales.

FoxLair# Go-1826-1102 SAC- Early Guanajuato Style Dies

FoxLair# Go-1838-1102 DAB- Soho Style Dies

FoxLair# Go-1843-1201 SAC- Guanajuato Style of 1843 Dies

FoxLair# Go-1852-1103 FOX- Guanajuato Style of 1844 Dies

FoxLair# Go-1868-1101 FOX- Guanajuato Style of 1854 Dies

Hermosillo (1861, 1862 & 1867): There are 3 Hermosillo 2 Reales DAM reported; sales and photographs verify two. There are no known, or even rumors of Contemporary Counterfeit 2 Reales from this mint like there are for the other minor coinage.

Assayer Type Collector: This Hermosillo Type Collector has two recorded assayers: FM, and PR.

  1. Assayer FM made 2 Reales for two years: 1861 & 1862.

  2. Assayer PR supposedly minted 2 Reales for one year: 1867.   

DAM Collector: The Hermosillo DAM Collector has more than a difficult task ahead because of the overall rarity of all of the Hermosillo 2 Reales.

Denomination Type Collector: There are no known deviations of the denomination on this mint’s 2 Reales.

Style Type Collector: This Hermosillo 2 Reales collector needs only one Major style, even though all of the 2 Reales minted appear to be hand punched. The only style used for the Hermosillo 2 Reales is the beautiful Sonora Style dies. Of course if any earlier 2 Reales were issued during the “unauthorized silver coinage” period they would have been made from another style of dies? One of the “great” questions, at least in my mind, is how did the Sonora Style dies finally end up at the Hermosillo Mint?

Variety Collector: At this time it appears that a single die pair was used for each year in Hermosillo, but this theory can’t be confirmed, at this time, because of the overall rarity of the Hermosillo 2 Reales. Therefore we have recorded no varieties within each DAM.

Numismatic Anomalies & Errors: It appears there are no previously unrecorded errors for the Hermosillo 2 Reales.

Contemporary Counterfeits & Modern Fakes: Currently we can’t conform any contemporary counterfeits or modern fakes for the Hermosillo 2 Reales, even though others are supposed to exist in some Hermosillo minor coinage.

FoxLair# Ho-1867-1101 DAB

Mexico City (1824 to 1868): Potentially there are 42 Mexico City 2 Reales DAMs; we have verified sales or photographs that confirm 37.  Of the 5 DAMs that remain unconfirmed, 3 are very questionable. We have found No confirmed contemporary counterfeit DAMs even though there are reported to be several.      

Assayer Type Collector: Mexico City 2 Reales have 11 confirmed assayers: JM, MJ, ML, MF, RC, GC, GF, FH, TH, CH, and PH.

  1. Assayer JM began producing 2 Reales in 1824 with Mexico City’s only Hookneck Style 2 Reales and then began making Facing Eagle Style 2 Reales in 1825. Assayer JM continued to mint 2 Reales until 1832 for a total of nine years.  
  2. Assayer MJ is found only on the MO 1833 MJ 2 Reales making this a dreaded “One Year Assayer Type Coin”, but one that isn’t too difficult to find. 
  3. Assayer ML started minting 2 Reales in 1834, but apparently didn’t make any 1835 or at least none are reported at this time. There are two (ML & MF) assayers reported for 1836, however Buttrey and Hubbard state that Assayer ML is reported, but unconfirmed in their last issue of The Guide Book. From 1837 Assayer ML continues producing 2 Reales until 1842 even though several years have no verified issues today. 
  4. Assayer MF is a fairly difficult “One Year Assayer Type Coin” found only on the MO 1836 MF 2 Reales.
  5. After a hiatus of five (1842-1847) years, Assayer RC begins to mint Mexico City 2 Reales again. The Mo 1847 RC 2 Reales is another “One Year Assayer Type Coin” 2 Reales.
  6. Assayer GC begins 2 Reales production in 1848 and continues every year until mid-year 1855. 
  7. Assayer GF begins 2 Reales production from mid-year 1855 through 1857.
  8. Assayer FH minted 2 Reales for only three years: 1858, 1859, and 1860. 
  9. Assayer TH started minting 2 Reales in mid-year 1860 for two years until 1861 and again in 1863.
  10. Assayer CH began making 2 Reales in mid-year 1861 and has verified sales in 1861, 1862, 1863, 1867, and 1868. 
  11. Assayer PH is another Mexico City “One Year Assayer Type Coin” 2 Reales that is known only on the MO 1868 PH.

As with most of Mexico City’s other minor reales, this mint has the largest number of assayers for any Republican mints’ 2 Reales.  However, like the others there are several assayers that are “very difficult” to find in any grade.  And even worse for the collector, there are few, if any, Mint State examples of some DAMs available in today’s market.  The hardest assayers to find in any grade will be: MJ, MF, and RC, and the highest grade you should expect to find is about Extra Fine, if that high.  There are a few higher grade coins for the other assayers, but don’t get your hopes up too high, you may have to wait a number of years to find any of them, except the MO 1861 CH with any regularity.  

DAM Collector: There are several reported but unconfirmed DAMs, so collecting by this category could be a never-ending challenge. There are several DAMs that may take years to find in any grade, let alone in the higher grades. 

Denomination Type Collector: At this time I know of no deviations in this mint’s denominations.

Style Type Collector: This collector has only two Major styles to find; The Hookneck and the Mexican Facing Eagle Styles. However, there are many minor style changes from 1825 to 1861 when the final “standardized” Style of 1861 are introduced. 

Variety Collector: Collecting Mexico City 2 Reales by variety could well be a lifelong project that might never be completed because of the lack of high-grade specimens impeding in-depth study.

Numismatic Anomalies & Errors: We have found no true errors for the Mexico City 2 Reales during the research for this article.

Contemporary Counterfeits & Modern Fakes: There are several reported contemporary counterfeit Mexico City 2 Reales; all remain unconfirmed at this time. 

FoxLair# Mo-1826-1101 DAB

Oaxaca: There are no silver 2 Reales are reported for this mint.

San Luis Potosi (1829 to 1869): There are 23 San Luis Potosi 2 Reales DAM reported; sales and photographs verify 20. There are no known, or even rumors of Contemporary Counterfeit 2 Reales from this mint.

Assayer Type Collector: This San Luis Potosi Type Collector has five recorded assayers: JS, PS, AM, MC, and RO.

  1. Assayer JS made 2 Reales for five years: 1829, 1830, 1837, 1841, & 1822.

  2. Assayer PS supposedly minted 2 Reales for five years: 1842, 1843, 1861, 1868, & 1869.

  3. Assayer AM created 2 Reales for four years: 1843, 1844, 1845, & 1846.

  4. Assayer MC minted 2 Reales for six years: 1849, 1850, 1856, 1857, 1858, & 1859.

  5. Assayer RO produced 2 Reales for only two years: 1862 & 1863.     

DAM Collector: The San Luis Potosi DAM Collector has more than a difficult task ahead because of the overall rarity of several of the San Luis Potosi 2 Reales.

Denomination Type Collector: There is only one “generally” uncataloged deviation of the denomination for the Republican 2 Reales and it is found on the “∗2RS. PI. 1837. J.S.”, this will make life difficult for this collector if you search for high-grade examples.

Style Type Collector: All of the San Luis Potosi 2 Reales minted until 1868 appear to be hand punched so most vary greatly from year to year. This 2 Reales collector needs two one Major styles, even though there are several minor changes we designate as new styles: All, but one (The “Sea Gull Head” Style 1842 Eagle), of the early Eagles used for the San Luis Potosi 2 Reales are very similar to the unique San Luis Potosi Styles used for the 8 Reales. The San Luis Potosi Mint never converted to Mexico City “Standardized Tiny Head” 2 Reales Eagle, but did use it on occasion.

Variety Collector: At this time it appears that a single die pair was used for most years in San Luis Potosi, but this theory can’t be confirmed, because of the overall rarity of some of the Potosi 2 Reales. Therefore we have recorded very few varieties within each DAM.  

Numismatic Anomalies & Errors: It appears there is one previously unrecorded error for the San Luis Potosi 2 Reales. This is an Error Mintmark missing the superscript “I” in 1829.

Contemporary Counterfeits & Modern Fakes: Currently we can’t conform any contemporary counterfeits or modern fakes for the San Luis Potosi 2 Reales, even though others are supposed to exist in some San Luis Potosi minor coinage.

FoxLair# Pi-1829-2101 SAC- Error No "I" Mintmark Early Potosi Style Dies

FoxLair# Pi-1863-1101 DAB- Late Potosi Style Dies

Zacatecas (1825 to 1870): Of the 58 potential Zacatecas 2 Real DAMs, only 2 are unverified by sales and/or photographs. Today, we know of no known contemporary counterfeit Zacatecas 2 Reales.      

Assayer Type Collector: The Zacatecas 2 Reales Assayer Collector has a difficult task a head with nine regular assayers noted: AZ, AV, AO, OV, OM, MO, VL, JS, YH and three Error assayers: ΛZ, ΛV, & ΛO.  

  1. The first Assayer AZ supposedly minted 2 Reales for two years, 1825 and 1826.
  2. In 1826 Error ΛZ Assayer is reported where a retrograde “V” is used in place of the regular “A”. This Error Assayer appears as “Λ.Z.”     
  3. The second Assayer AV is reported for a single year: 1826. There are reports that all of this assayer’s 2 Reales are made with the with the retrograde “V” in place of the regular “A”. Other experts report there are also regular “A” in the assayer’s initials too. The Error Assayer appears as “Λ.V.”   
  4. Assayer AO produced 2 Reales for only four years from mid-year 1826 until 1829.
  5. The Error Assayer ΛO, with the retrograde “V” in place of the regular “A” seems to have been used in only one year; 1828. This assayer’s initials appear as “Λ.O.” on these 1 Reales.
  6. Assayer OV reportedly produced 2 Reales for only two years from 1830 until mid-year 1831.
  7. Assayer OM supposedly struck 2 Reales for 30 years from 1831 to 1859.
  8. Assayer MO struck 2 Reales only five years: 1855 until 1860.  
  9. Assayer VL only struck coins for three years from mid-year 1860 until 1862.
  10. Assayer JS struck 2 Reales for one year; 1868 making it a “One Year Assayer Type Coin” that is always in great demand by Type Collectors. 
  11. Assayer YH struck 2 Reales only one year, 1869 making it a “One Year Assayer Type Coin” that is always in great demand by Type Collectors. 

DAM Collector: The Zacatecas DAM Collector has more than a difficult task ahead because of the overall rarity of several of the Zacatecas 2 Reales.

Denomination Type Collector: We have found no deviations of the denomination for this mint’s 2 Reales.

Style Type Collector: All of the Zacatecas 2 Reales minted until 1867 appear to be hand punched so most vary greatly from year to year. This 2 Reales collector needs two Major styles, even though there are several minor changes we designate as new styles: Therefore most collectors need to find only the early unique Eagle used for the Zacatecas 2 Reales that are very similar to the unique Zacatecas Styles used for the 8 Reales. The Zacatecas Mint converted to Mexico City “Standardized Tiny Head” 2 Reales Eagle during 1845.

Variety Collector: At this time it appears that a single die pair was used for most years in Zacatecas until late in the series, but this theory can’t be confirmed, because of the overall rarity of some of the Zacatecas 2 Reales. Therefore we have recorded very few varieties within each DAM.  

Numismatic Anomalies & Errors: There are several Zacatecas 2 Reales error coins. Some have been published, others are previously unrecorded. These include error assayers, mintmarks, and missing superscript “s” in the fineness.

Contemporary Counterfeits & Modern Fakes: Currently we can’t conform any contemporary counterfeits or modern fakes for the Zacatecas 2 Reales, even though others are supposed to exist in some Zacatecas minor coinage.

FoxLair# Zs-1833-2101 DAB- Early Zacatecas Style Dies

FoxLair# Zs-1868-2101 DAB- Late Zacatecas Style Dies

In Conclusion

We are beginning to see the overall market for Republican 2 Reales heating up with the addition of a few new collectors. Today’s collectors sometimes have a free-for-all when choice Mint State specimens show up at public auction, even if they are common dates, causing prices to escalate to many times current catalog values. However, some low-grade rarities can still occasionally be purchased for bargain prices at these auctions, especially if they aren’t well recognized Type Coins or Classic Rarities. This indicates to us that the current collector base for 2 Reales is still very small, and that most collectors don’t know the true rarity of these coins.  There seems to be a few longtime, and very advanced 2 Reales collectors, needing only a few coins to complete their collections. Additionally there are several serous 2 Reales DAM (Date, Assa