Need help I.Ding these coins

[gtlfindings]

A friend of mine at work knows I like coins and brought some in for me to see...He has an idea of what they are and I did some research as well but theres such a drastic price difference on these coins...I know 3 are 8 reales and are pitosi? my friend brought these from his country Bolivia and says the 4 soles are colonial money.....one has a Po stamped on the front. Ive done as much research on the computer and hope to go to the library and local coin shop to help ID and value...I am sure the fellow Tneters here know what they are an values as well!! ANY help would be great!!
Gerald

 

[Cappy Z.]

Please take a close look at your photos. Make the necessary adjustments and I am certain you will get plenty of feedback.

HH

 

[gtlfindings]

Please take a close look at your photos. Make the necessary adjustments and I am certain you will get plenty of feedback.

HH

Is it because the two 4 soles are upside down??Also I tried to make the scans smaller but couldnt... I wont be able to fix them til tomorrow as I wont be near my scanner til then...Thanks HH
Gerald

 

[AU24K]

Here ya go.
Scott

 

[Mackaydon]

Some history:
"By secret decree of Marshal Andrés de Santa Cruz, stong man of Bolivia, minor denomination coins were to be struck in low grade (.6666 fine) silver. This did not affect the larger 8 Soles which were made for export to Europe but all coins from 4 Soles and less were made with the debased silver.

Additionally the design and the date of the coins was to be frozen with the year "1830". Production of these debased silver coins continued until a new design appeared in Potasi in 1853.

According to H.P.Flatt, "while the merchants of Bolivia & Peru quickly learned of the decreased value of the coins, the public continued to be deceived for years..." In fact the specimen illustrated here appears to bright silver and just as good as any sterling silver coin in visual appearance. These monedas febles drove good local currency out of circulation, damaged circulation, damaged the economy for years and lead to a war between Peru and Bolivia."
http://www.coinsandhistory.com/Bolivia_1.html

 

[gtlfindings]

Some history:
"By secret decree of Marshal Andrés de Santa Cruz, stong man of Bolivia, minor denomination coins were to be struck in low grade (.6666 fine) silver. This did not affect the larger 8 Soles which were made for export to Europe but all coins from 4 Soles and less were made with the debased silver.

Additionally the design and the date of the coins was to be frozen with the year "1830". Production of these debased silver coins continued until a new design appeared in Potasi in 1853.

According to H.P.Flatt, "while the merchants of Bolivia & Peru quickly learned of the decreased value of the coins, the public continued to be deceived for years..." In fact the specimen illustrated here appears to bright silver and just as good as any sterling silver coin in visual appearance. These monedas febles drove good local currency out of circulation, damaged circulation, damaged the economy for years and lead to a war between Peru and Bolivia."
http://www.coinsandhistory.com/Bolivia_1.html

Funny thing I remember seeing this page during initial research but must have passed that info...Also His english isnt that great so when he was saying febles I wasnt understanding...He says he like coins from a numismatic stand point and has some idea of what they are, He asked me to help out because his english is a little rough...I really appreciate your help and link...You would't happen to know ballpark values or other site besides world coin galley? Als what is the reason for such price difference on the 8 reales?? Some I see for $70 some for over $500 for other specimens....Also condition wise these seem to be much better than some I've seen on Ebay...
Grateful for your help,
Gerald

 

[Mackaydon]

Gerald:
A comparison of any two coin's condition, mint designation, original mintage and current population can produce a huge value range; as can other factors--like demand at different times for the same coin. (What's popular today.)

You may wish to go to Google Images and type in "Fernando VII" "8-reales". Then you'll see pages of this coin type--many for sale.
Don........

 

[gtlfindings]

Gerald:
A comparison of any two coin's condition, mint designation, original mintage and current population can produce a huge value range; as can other factors--like demand at different times for the same coin. (What's popular today.)

You may wish to go to Google Images and type in "Fernando VII" "8-reales". Then you'll see pages of this coin type--many for sale.
Don........

Thank you very much for the info Don!! I will check out google images!!

Gerald

 

[gtlfindings]

Oh well got some disappointing news..Brought them to my coin guy to research and he said they look as though they have been cleaned....He showed me some other ones and how almost 200 years of aging looks....So tonight I will tell my Bolivian friend at work the news...He said he has a big pile of these at home hopefully he didn't clean them either....

 

[floodcitykid]

Coins from the Potosi mines were used all over the world, at one time "reales" in Colonial America they were common, especially in port areas. I've dug them at old houses and Civil war sites in Virginia, I even dug one in the Philippines. due to the minerals in their silver, they have a tendancy to turn black, dont clean them.

Most common value is right around $8 to $10, average condition.

Floodcitykid