1783 8 reales flea market find...

[Gridwalker306]

I went to a flea market with my wife today and came across this coin. The guy had a table of stuff, and I noticed a binder full of coins under glass. I asked to see the coins and he said only some were for sale. This was his only Spanish coin, and the info I got is that it came from the El Cazador wreck. I was able to get this coin for $70. I did the magnet test, and it passes completely. It sounds like silver, and it feels right.

This is my first experience with Spanish silver, and I'm curious to find out if I made a good purchase...any thoughts?

 

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[l.cutler]

Well, in similar condition they seem to be selling for around $30 to $40 on ebay. Regardless, it is a nice piece of history, I am thinking of picking one up myself.

 

[Diver_Down]

Without reading your post and first looking at the photo, I knew it was a Cazador. Your piece is solid with a full date.

 

[Gridwalker306]

Thanks for the info, looks like it's the real thing.

 

[Diver_Down]

Thanks for the info, looks like it's the real thing.

It's most definitely the real thing. No laminated COA is needed. I've handled hundreds of Cazador coins and conserve individual coins from clumps.

 

[therover]

Looks similar to the ones we found a few Summers ago.

 

[Diver_Down]

Rover - nice pillar. Did you find it in coastal NJ? I know of one area in NJ that has produced with the same date. If you can, post pictures of the reverse.

 

[therover]

Diver...I can't find any pic of the reverse on the machine I am using, but when I get a chance to up load one to Photobucket, I will post it.

Yes, this along with a whole bunch of others, were found on a beach NJ in the spot you probably are referring to.

Side note...not sure based on your handle if you are VH fan. If so, wanted to let you know I am going to the Garden to see them next week..... 30+ years after I saw them back in '79 !

EDIT....found a pic of the back.

 

[Diver_Down]

Curious on the depth of the recovery? The area that I know of - all of the recoveries have been very deep. Your pillar is a beauty. Congrats on the recovery.

 

[therover]

Diver...some were not deep at all. A few were actually found on the surface, but encrusted in iron/crud and I think a lot of detectorists passed them over ! Some were in the 10-12 inch range, but we did hit a spot where we kept digging into the 3-4 foot range to keep getting them. They just kept coming out of the hole.

Most if not all were found in the dry sand that was pumped and spread via the beach restoration project.

 

[Gridwalker306]

therover....your story is making me drool. I can't even imagine......

 

[mmalone44]

I picked up pretty much the exact same coin as the original poster of this thread, for $25 at a coin show in TN. It looks to be the same date and condition. I'm just curious though -- how can I tell if it's a reproduction? I need to find a scale to truly measure its weight, and I need to find a magnet. I only shelled out $25, but I really want to know if it's real!