Owner Comments:
This example represents the 1841-1856 type of Real. To the reverse lettering was added: "10D.20G," giving the fineness of the silver. The Spanish system of measurement was recorded in dineros and granos (grains). One dinero of pure silver was 24 granos. 10 dineros, 20 granos is .903 silver, or just slightly more than the 90 percent silver coins circulating in the United States. The fineness was added in 1841 to aid in identifying these "good" silver coins as compared to the then circulating moneda feble. The feble continued to circulate, however, and many of these "good" coins were driven from the country as per Gresham's law that "the good money drives out the bad".
All of this type of Real are scarce in mint state, although finding an uncirculated Real of this type, while difficult, is less of a challenge than to find a nice example of the earlier type. This coin is the single finest graded for the entire later type. Like the 1830 Real in my set, it was sold in the Lissner sale in 2014, and re-holdered as part of the Moore sale in 2017. These two coins are the finest two Reals graded at PCGS/NGC.
Full rolling luster and clean fields define the grade given, with attractive original brown-grey toning. The strike is solid, if a touch soft. The striking became very crude at the Lima mint in the 1850's, prior to the arrival of engraver Robert Britten and the steam press from England. This example, though a touch crude, is as nice as Reals of the era come. It is also the plate coin at NGC. The previous holder featured a gold WINGS sticker, denoting high-end quality for the assigned grade.
Photographs copyright Numismatic Guarantee Corporation.