More Brother in Laws coins

[Dick]

I hear you, Robert! I have had world coins, (all small, insignificant, but interesting), and have always had a soft spot in my heart for Mexican coinage. I have had a type collection, and also went for a modern, (reform), date, and type collection. Obviously not complete, in either case, but sufficient to provide food for the kids, when things were going from bad to worse! The Movie, "Around the world in 80 days", inspired me to make a display in a large picture frame, of the same theme. Iach country had a small note about it's most important things, etc. It took first place in one of the coin club shows, about 45 years ago. Each country was representated by a coin from that country. I still get "world coins" in rolls, cent, nickel, quarter, along with truck wash tokens, one SBA, a couple 1 Pizo coins from the P.I.. 100 WON from Korea, or Taiwan. Still nice to find them, but not sought out, anymore.
Dick

[Robert]

Pre-1900 decimal Mexican coins are an example of what I'm talking about.

Style/design - their eagle shows more relief than most US coins (barbers, seated) of the same era.

Silver - Mexican silver was 90.3% vs 90% for US. Small advantage, yes but it is more silver.

Old - Mexico City mint established 1536 I believe. I don't think you get any older and still be in the new world.

Mintages- most 5, 10, 20 and 50 cent coins have mintages less than 500k, many are less than 100k and quite a few are less than 10k! Look 'em up. US coins that rare are almost uncollectible.

Inexpensive - many of the above Mexican coins can be bought for silver or nearly so. Not much of a premium (yet).

Challenging- a type set would be relatively easy to do. A date set would be tough.

etc- Many varieties (overdates, overassayer initials [is that a word?]), many types (Colonial, War of Independence, Iturbide, Republic, decimal-Republic,), legitimate "pieces of 8", etc etc.

Not a lot of downside, IMHO.

[smed]

[Dick]

Smed, The coin, Onza, with the balance scales, and the press, was coined in celebration of the 400th year of the mints establishment in the "New World". The onzas have been a way of putting money away for the future. THey were cheap, and most could afford them. In case of an emergency, they were easily converted to the "coin of the realm". The more affluent bought the "Centenarios", $50.00 peso gold coins. The silver used in the coinage of Mexico, has always been accepted as "ley .9027". Almost like our "sterling". Later it went to "Ley 0.720". Even later to "Ley .500". Finally it got to "Ley .100", and then, no more silver. Such a pity, that a country goes so far down in prestige, and self-esteem, that it's coinage is converted to JUNK! That is what 70 years under one party did to Mexico.
This country, The USA, is walking in the same shoes, except for the single party, part. We owe that to FDR, and the removal of the country off the gold standard, and to make matters worse, they remove the silver backing from the "Silver Dollar"! Execpt for the Silver Eagles, and a few "Commoratives", (which don't circulate as coinage), what have we got left? Even the lowly cent, which was good copper, and worthy of the name "coppers", has turned to "SHIITE"!. Not a typo, it was deliberate. I didn't want to use the word better known as excrement! Pardon my ranting, but it is humiliating to see one's country go to hell in a hand-bag!
Dick

[coop]

The mint should observe the classic designs on current coins as a commeration of the past examples of coinage. Even with the junk planchets, they could still be pretty. I'm getting tired of the DPS (Dead President's Society) featured on the current coin age. They would make nice designs to feature so everyone could have an example. Everyone would love to have a chain cent, even if it was a junk core. The beauty is there, just re-use it. But I don't get to design the coins, but I can choose which ones NOT to collect. I don't like the copy coins as they are not real coinage. So I guess I will have to wait till the classic designs become a reality on current coinage before I will collect them. In the mean time I will have to settle with the Lincoln Cent.