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FROM THE MILLENNIA COLLECTION
MR9. Mexico 1809 Mo HJ eight reales. Choice mint state with prooflike fields and frosty devices. Spectacular eye appeal. The money-is-no-object Millennia Collection could not find a better struck or more lustrous Mexican 8 reales of Ferdinand VII (probably because there isn't one). NGC "Millennia Collection MS 62" (undergraded) in its original holder from May 2008. Please see the excellent photo on page 209 0f the Millennia catalogue.
If you like the cameo effect that mirrored fields create, especially with the military bust of unfortunate Ferdinand, this coin is truly spectacular example. Deep prooflike coins arise in one or two ways. Absolutely new dies strike coins of moderate prooflike depth, but the deepest prooflike surfaces arise when a previously used die is repolished before being put back in service. That is clearly what happened in 1809 at Mexico City. Dies that had sat on the shelf for some time, perhaps garnering a trace of rust, were put back to work after a vigorous cleaning. The unintended result was for a short time at least a run of beautiful prooflike 8 reales. Prooflike coins do not photograph well because the thousands of tiny raised polishing lines confuse the camera. The human eye is smarter and see the deeply mirrored fields framing frosty devices. Laid out beside a dozen other top quality 8 reales at the Millennia Sale in 2008, this coin was the eye-catcher. By current NGC standards this 8 reales is at least an MS 63 and probably an MS 64. A 1809 TH 8 reales that NGC has graded MS 63 is here.
Available. Price on request.
terravitan@aol.com or 480-595-1293
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