Could this be the Lost Cob of MM?

[cbrg148]

48 years ago my mother, a friend and I went to Key West. My mom' friend bought my mom a Piece of Eight.
She kept it years and then it went *poof*. About 2 years ago I found this in some of her stuff. Is this the Lost Cobb of MM (My Mother)?

Can someone tell me if this is real? I have not weighed it yet. But, if it comes up at 27g, what say you all?

And is there somewhere that can authenticate it and provide me a COA?

 

[ToddsPoint]

Take it to a coin shop and they can send it to NCG or PCGS for authentication and grading. They will put it in a slab. A good coin shop should be able to authenticate it without sending it in.

 

[russau]

A monmento from your mother is a priceless item ! NEVER let it go !

 

[mrwiskers]

@cbrg148 ... this is a nice cob, & possibly has historical significance. Your cob is an 8 reales, & was struck at the Spanish colonial mint , Mexico City, after 1714. This is determined by the various features visible on the coin. The design of the shield dates the cob after 1714, between 1715 - 1724. The shape of the cob, & the design styles of certain details (cross tips, lions & castles) indicate most probably struck under mint assayer J. E. de Leon ( assayer mark "J") between 1715 - 1724. The presence of surface corrosion (very mild) indicates the possibility that it was struck early in the year 1715, & was loaded onto a ship of the infamous 1715 Fleet, & sunk off of the east coast of Florida, in a hurricane. May I suggest researching: "1715 Fleet" ... "Mexico City mint" ... "Spanish cobs".

I would put a retail value of around $350 - $400, but, If I were you, I'd hang onto it. I suggest taking it to a coin shop & getting a (non-PVC) holder to keep it in. Nice cob, &, if I can help anymore, let me know.

 

[mrwiskers]

Take it to a coin shop and they can send it to NCG or PCGS for authentication and grading. They will put it in a slab. A good coin shop should be able to authenticate it without sending it in.

NGC, PCGS, & the other third-party grading services are not a good choice when it Comes to Spanish cobs. I have an on-going collection / folder of mis-identified Spanish cobs by the grading services ... apparently, none of them employ anyone with a good working knowledge of Spanish cobs. This is not surprising, as Spanish cobs is a very narrow, specialized field. Even the top authorities in this subject are occasionally wrong. Less than 1% of professional coin dealers know much about the subject. I'm a 30+ year collector, & consider myself as just above "novice". I've learned much from experts in the field, such as Dan Sedwick, Louis Hudson, Paul Karon, & others. ALSO: Internet A I searches on this subject are all but useless, & highly inaccurate / misleading ...

As far as slabbing goes, you can buy a nice plastic slab online, & fill out the info yourself. For the cob shown here, your description would be: 8 REALES / Philip V, Spain / MEXICO CITY MINT (no mint mark) / 1715 - 1724 / assayer: Jose Eustaquio de Leon (assayer mark "J" not visible) / sea salvaged / --.-- grams. Have the coin weighed (jeweler or coin dealer), & display the weight in grams, to the 100th of a gram ... i.e.: 26.65g