Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
1/8 Real 'Octavo' Federal Coinage
| Issuer | Mexico |
|---|---|
| Year | 1841-1861 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central field displays the denomination inscription 'OCTAVO DE REAL' in three lines above the date, all enclosed within a wreath composed of laurel and oak branches tied at the base. The mintmark appears below the wreath. The overall design is bold and deeply struck, consistent with standard Mexican federal copper coinage of the mid-nineteenth century. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | OCTAVO DE REAL 1842 Mo |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Mexico's fractional copper coinage of this period was a federal attempt to solve a chronic small-change shortage that had plagued the country since independence. Individual states had been issuing their own copper pieces through the 1820s and 1830s with wildly inconsistent weights and alloy quality, and the federal 1/8 real was introduced partly to displace that chaotic local coinage. It largely failed — state issues continued circulating alongside federal pieces for years.
The twenty-year span of this type reflects repeated authorization renewals rather than continuous production; actual mintage in any given year was irregular and driven by regional demand.