8 Real    (sold for $40.0)

1891, Mexico (2nd Republic). Silver 8 Reales "Cap Dollar" Coin. Guanajuato!

Mint Year: 1891
Denomination: 8 Reales
Mint Mark: Go (Guanajuato).
Reference: 1890-GoRS, KM-377.8.
Material: Silver (.903) .7259 oz ASW.
Condition: A few scratches, otherwise a nice AU with some lustre in fields!
Weight: 27.07gm
Diameter: 39mm

Obverse: Phrygian cap with "libertad" inscription, with 32 light rays.
Legend: * 8R . Go . 1891 . R . S . 10 Ds . 20 Gs .

Reverse: Eagle with a snake in its beak, standing on a cactus plant, sea waves below.
Legend: REPUBLICA MEXICANA (terminated by olive and oak branches)

Guanajuato is actually a relatively small city with less than 100,000 inhabitants. Its importance lay in the large silver mines located nearby. These mines resulted in great quantities of provincial coins being minted. Guanajuato also played a major role in Mexico's independence movement. Father Miguel Hidalgo began the 1821 insurrection there.

The successful revolt of the Spanish colonies in America, did not stopped the Spanish dollar to dominate the Eastern trade, and the peso of 8 reales continued to be minted in the New World. The coin was sometimes called a Republican dollar, but eventually any peso of the old Spanish 8-real standard was generally referred to as a Mexican dollar, Mexico being the most prolific producer. Mexico restored the standard of 1772, producing a coin of 27.073 g, 0.9028 fine, containing 24.441 g fine silver (the mark weight of the Mexico City mint was very slightly heavier than the standard mark of Spain).

Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States of America; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico. Covering almost two million square kilometres (over 760,000 sq mi), Mexico is the fifth largest country in the Americas by total area and the 13th largest independent nation in the world. With an estimated population of over 113 million, it is the world's eleventh most populous country and the most populous Spanish-speaking country. Mexico is a federation comprising thirty-one states and a Federal District, the capital city.