One of the most interesting and overlooked areas of Mexican Numismatics has to be the many different designs or styles of coins found in the 1st Republic Period Coinage from 1823 until 1870, or thereabouts. There are literally hundreds of individual designs, or styles found on the reales and the escudos of the early Mexican Republic. Most of them are completely unknown to the average collector and have never been reproduced, or published in a form that allowed collectors to understand and recognize them. This is especially true of the minors, where most photographs published in books or catalogs are generally the size of the coins, thus making it almost impossible to tell the differences in the designs for the most part.
One of the things that originally attracted me to Mexican coins was this multitude of different designs found on the Guanajuato and Durango 8 Reales. These were the first two Mexican mints and coins that I started collecting during the early 1980s. Rod Bates, my first mentor pointed out some of the differences between the styles found on the 8 Reales from these two mints when I purchased my very first Mexican Coins from him. My next mentor, Clyde Hubbard, helped me learn what styles were common on these two mints’ 8 Escudos and which were rare. But most others (collectors and dealers) involved Mexican coins that I met during my early years of collecting had little, or no interest in this area of numismatics. And the few, then available, reference books made no mention of them except for an occasional cryptic message like “Concave Wing” or “Convex Wing”, or “Large Eagle” versus “Small Eagle”. And when I found an occasional photo, it was generally too small and of such poor quality that it was difficult to grasp the significant differences.
However, this didn’t deter me from trying to identify the different designs and assign them some title, or nickname, that meant something to me and that allowed me to write some narrative type of descriptor that would tell me I had one, or was missing that particular coin. This was more than a difficult task because this was in the “Dark Age” of Mexican Numismatics, long before digital cameras, cheap scanners, and the Internet, so I had to concoct a written description that was meaningful.
On the Cap & Rays side, for the reales, I decided to use the Rays like a clock’s face. I might mention where the longest rays appeared at such places as 1:00, 2:00, 6:00, and 8:00. Or where the rays pointed to what characters in the legends. Or that a Cap was peaked or flat on top. On the Eagle side I used the wreaths where I counted Laurel Berries and Leaves. Or where the Dot, if there was one, was positioned after “MEXICANA”. Or if a particular eagle had some unique features such as a tiny head that made it look more like a “pigeon”, or in some cases like a “seagull”, than it did a Mexican Eagle. My early methods were imprecise at best, at worse they almost impossible to use. But even though flawed, this method worked, at least for me and a few other collectors who were becoming interested in the different styles of 8 Reales.
Hopefully, we are going to give you enough information in the next couple of issues of Mexican Coin Magic to help you to become a Mexican Republic Style Collector, if you so desire. I promise you once you begin collecting Mexican Republic Coins by Style you will never become bored or disinterested with collecting.
Most people believe there are only two sides for every coin, but there is also a third side! The third side of your coins is its edge design. But let’s start our discussion with the two primary sides of the coin. The 1st Mexican Republic Period had two primary denominations: escudos for gold and reales for silver and copper. These two denominations are generally referred to as Cap & Ray Reales and Hand on Book Escudos. We are going to concentrate our study first on the silver reales and later we will explore the gold escudos styles. I’m sorry we are going to have to pass on the copper reales because we don’t have an expert at Mexican Coin Magic with enough knowledge to justify publishing a study of them. Hint, hint, if anyone out there in electronic LaLa Land wants to write an article about these coins and their many styles please contact us.
There are many different ways to look at Mexican coins. Some people look at the Date, Assayer, and Mintmark (DAM) only. Others look for varieties such as OverDates, OverAssayers, and OverMintmarks, etc. A few look for errors such as missing letters in the legends, incorrect letters or numerals, etc. But very few study and collect any Mexican series by designs or styles. Therefore, if you elect to begin collecting in this manner you have a playing field that is nearly vacant and open to great new discoveries.
The Eagle Side or 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. In a few instances, especially in Durango, you will also find a dot between REPUBLICA • MEXICANA, but most of the time not.
The Cap & Rays Side or 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 (8R, or 8RS) Mintmark• Date• Assayer Initials• Fineness• ”. For example a Zacatecas 8 Reales minted in 1831 would read: ê 8R• ZS• 1831• 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 find fascinating.
Now you understand what makes up the silver reales. But what makes one style different from another?
The second most basic design is the Facing Eagle Style that was used in all 14 Mexican Republic Mints to produce all five denominations of silver reales. One must remember that all denominations weren’t made at all of the mints; only the 8 Reales were produced at all 14 Republican Mints.
While there are numerous style variations of the Hookneck Style coinage, we will consider all of them to be varieties for this study and not different styles. For the complete story of the Hookneck Style coinage I strongly recommend reading Hookneck by Clyde Hubbard and David O’Harrow.
Now that we have established the two basic styles of coins, I will tell you that the Facing Eagle Style of coinage is where we find the hundreds of different styles of Eagles and the many different styles of Cap & Rays found on the silver reales.
I guess the next logical thing to cover is the Mexican Facing Eagle. Most collectors and coin dealers recognize a second tier of major styles of Mexican Republic Coinage. These include three designs that were originally thought to be produced outside of Mexico. The Durango Paris Style, the Soho Style from Chihuahua and Guanajuato, the Sonora Style that was seen on the coins of the Alamos, Culiacan, Guadalupe y Calvo, and Hermosillo mints. Each of these three styles has corresponding Eagles and Cap & Rays that are distinctive and unique. Some of these styles show up on all Mexican Republic coinage, others on a limited number of denominations.
Next we enter into the “gray area” where we find styles that are unique to the individual mints. All of the Republican Mints have at least one of these unique styles except the Catorce and Estado de Mexico mints, which used only Mexico City matrixes to make all of their silver reales.
Another “curve ball” for collectors is the Eagles found on the reales. For instance, one might think that all Soho Style Eagles would be the same; but this isn’t the case. The same is true for the Durango Paris Style coins and to a certain degree the Sonora Style coinage.
Let me show you a couple of examples of these differences so you can begin to understand the complexities of collecting silver reales by style.
The Soho Style coinage was designed, and the original dies produced in Birmingham England at the Soho Mint that was owned by Matthew Bolton and James Watt. This style was originally intended to be used solely by the Guanajuato Mint. Richard Doty’s book, The Soho Mint & the Industrialization of Money, tells how this design was also later authorized to be used in Chihuahua.
Mexican Republic Laws3 stated that all Republican Coinage was to be produced with matrixes and/or dies produced in the Mexico City Mint. But the during the early years of the Mexican Republic the Mexico City Mint could barely make enough dies to keep up with its needs, let alone produce dies for the new state mints coming on line. Most state mint leases were generally tied to a minimum production guarantee; therefore some of the early lessees broke the law by securing dies outside of Mexico in order to fulfill their contracts. This was the case for the Guanajuato and Chihuahua mints because Englishmen held the early mint leases for both of these mints. I’m sure each felt more confident that a company from their home country could fulfill their needs, so both selected the Soho Mint to produce the minting equipment and dies they needed.
There were several different Soho Style Eagles produced from the get-go. One of these is generally referred to as the “Concave Wing” Eagle in most coin catalogs. This basic eagle appears on several different denominations of coins from both Chihuahua and Guanajuato. But notice there are subtle variations in these designs for the two mints’ coins.
The 8 Escudos
The ½ Reales
The 1 Reales
The 2 Reales
But of even greater interest to Style Collectors is where this “Concave Wing” Soho Style Eagle didn’t show up:
No 8 Reales were ever made with this eagle
No minor gold coins were made with this eagle
No Chihuahua or Guanajuato 4 Reales used this eagle
No Chihuahua 2 Reales used this eagle
But don’t get the wrong idea … there is a Soho Style Eagle that did appear on both Chihuahua and Guanajuato 8 Reales, but it looks nothing like the “Concave Wing” Soho Eagle. And once again notice there are subtle differences in the two styles.
The Soho Style 8 Reales
Our research has turned up no designs that can be credited to the Soho Mint for minor gold coins even though some dies were ordered for all coinage for the Guanajuato Mint.
Are you starting to see some of the complexity associated with collecting Mexican Republic Coins by Style? But wait, there is more! Each of these Soho Styles has a unique Cap & Rays style die, or in the case of the 8 Escudos, Hand on Book style dies.
The 8 Escudos
The ½ Reales
The 1 Reales
The 2 Reales
The Soho Style 8 Reales
Wait a minute before you get too complacent. There are also variations within these styles that are also interesting. Take for instance the Soho Style 8 Reales Cap & Rays from Guanajuato; some have stops after the date with a single Dot, others have three dots, one (see the scan above on the right) has two stars and one Dot, and one has the three normal dots with one large dot above them. These are just some of the more interesting variations, and believe me there are more.
But this is just the tiptop part of the iceberg! A few mints used very few different designs or styles; others used scads of different designs. For instance the Guadalajara and Chihuahua mints saw very few different designs used for their coinage while other mints such as Durango, Guadalupe y Calvo, Guanajuato, Hermosillo, Oaxaca, San Luis Potosi and Zacatecas used many unique designs.
The largest flock of these weird looking birds occur on the Cap & Ray 8 Reales simply because all 14 Republican mints minted 8 Reales. There were millions, if not billions; of 8 Reales produced from 1824 until 1897 and featured on them you will find well over 100 birds of prey.
Now let me tell you about a few of the more interesting birds found on Mexican Republic coins and my nickname for each.
The Durango Mint is a good example where we find many (over 20 distinctive styles) different styles, and I’m sure we have probably missed a few. Currently we have identified the following styles of Cap & Rays and Eagles for the Durango 8 Reales:
Want more? Okay, let’s look at the San Luis Potosi Mint. We have found the following styles for the Potosi 8 Reales:
However, this multitude of styles doesn’t occur just on the 8 Reales, we also find a large number of styles on the minor reales too. Let’s continue to with 4 Reales from the San Luis Potosi Mint:
Next we go to the 2 Reales, but this time let me show you the coins so you can see the different styles:
This problem was rectified before the next Potosi 2 Real was minted in 1830. The new Style of 1830 design still uses designs similar to this mint’s early 8 Reales, but of course much smaller.
Much like the other denominations of Potosi coins, we find new designs almost every year for the 2 Reales during early years of production. The third year of production of the Potosi 2 Reales occurred in 1837 and there is a new Style of 1837 that includes the “2RS” denomination.
The next Potosi 2 Real design, the Style of 1841, was also short-lived. This design is seen for only part of 1841 because the Style of 1842 will be introduced before the end of the 1841 production year. The Style of 1841 coins will be the last to use the miniature Potosi 8 Reales designs and the full “J” assayer’s initial for the 2 Reales.
There is a major redesign of the Potosi coinage during 1840 when the new Style of 1840 sees a widespread introduction, except for 2 Reales, which occurs in 1841. The new Style of 1842 sees the first use of the Mexico City Style dies for the Potosi 2 Reales. This ugly design, especially the Seagull Head Eagle appears to have been used for only three years: 1841, 1868, and 1869.
It doesn’t take long for Potosi to start tinkering with this new design; we see several changes in mid-year 1842 on the PI 1842 PS 2 Reales to the Cap and Eagle design with a new Style of 1843. One of the more interesting features is found on the eagle die; while there are still 5 Laurel Berries note the last one is on a long stem that places it directly under the mid-level Dot after “MEXICANA•”. On a heavily worn specimen this configuration might be attributed as having a colon after “MEXICANA:” instead of the correct attribution.
It appears the Potosi Mint still wasn’t completely satisfied with the designs for its 2 Reales because the new Style of 1863 dies was introduced the following year.
There were multiple dies made in 1863 for the Potosi 2 Reales, but the changes were slight. Finally in 1868 we see the final design for the Potosi 2 Reales emerge. The Style of 1868 dies will be used for the last two years, 1868 and 1869, of the 2 Reales production. I find it rather interesting that for the final two years of 2 Reales production the Potosi Mint returned to Mexico City Style of dies that hadn’t been used since 1841.
And don’t forget the Potosi 1 and ½ Reales! They too have many different and interesting styles found on them. But then so do all of the other mints’ coins.
Can you begin to comprehend the vast numbers of the unique styles available to the Mexican Republic Style Collector yet? See why I told you it is impossible to become bored collecting the early Mexican Republic coins by Style?
And remember, we have not found and recorded all of the style changes that occurred because of our limited access to so few coins. Therefore, you have the opportunity to discover new and unpublished styles for the first time. Once you experience the thrill of this, you will be hooked for life!
Have I bored you to tears yet? Let’s hope not? Enough of my BS for now; go have some fun with your coins, learn to look at them and listen to what they can tell you! Become more than just another “hole filler”! Become a real Mexican Numismatist. I promise you it is very rewarding and you will never become bored.
By the way, if you find this article interesting and if you want more information about collecting Mexican Coins by Style let us know, and we blow you away in future articles. But if we don’t hear anything from our readers, we will assume you find this boring and we will not bore you with anymore.
Sources and Footnotes
1Doty, Richard; The Soho Mint & the Industrialization of Money, (1998) London, SPINK and the British Numismatic Society, pp. 229-256
2Riddell, J.L.; Monograph of the Silver Dollar, (1845) New Orleans; 550 copies Reprinted by the Sociedad Numismatica de Mexico in 1969
3Pradeau, Dr. A.J.; Historia Numismatica de Mexico from 1823 to 1950, Volume 3, (1961) Sociedad Numismatica de Mexico
4Hubbard, Clyde and David O’Harrow; Hookneck, (1997) Portland, Oregon