The early 8 Reales of the first Oaxaca mint reflect a wide variety of interesting die varieties, each drastically different from one another in quality of workmanship and artistic expression. Within the span of a few years, styles range from quite detailed and well-executed to what could be described as among the poorest quality in the entire Cap & Ray series. It is fairly evident from the coins themselves that the Oaxaca mint encountered numerous problems in its early years of production including flatness of strike and improperly annealed dies that wore out or broke prematurely. Clearly, the mint was operating at a technologically level inferior to that of other Mexican mints.
One of the most interesting features of these early coins is that they permit us to correlate the coins to each other and thus trace the die lineage. Several of this period’s early die styles were produced in very small quantities and in some cases, only one set of dies were made. This permits us to link one style to the next in a conclusive manner. For example, the reverse die of the 1858-0 (fig. 2) is the same as that for the 1859-Oa (fig. 3).
However, the obverse die style of the 1859-Oa is unique to this year (figs. 3-4). Coins from this die often have large vertical die crack, sometimes spanning the entire length of the die, confirming that this die style was only used in 1859. Obviously, the die broke and became so damaged that is could no longer be used, leading to a new obverse die style the following year. As is evident from the diagonal die crack (starting at about 7 o’clock), the first issue of 1860 (fig. 5) continued using the same reverse die of the 1859. It appears that this die was retired temporarily since the second issue of 1860 (fig. 6) uses a reverse die unique to this year. However, the second reverse die used in 1860 seems to have not lasted very long. As it is clear from the coin pictured in fig. 6, this reverse die had broken to the point where it could no longer be used. Due to its extreme rarity, it is certain that this reverse die broke fairly early after its production.
The coin pictured in fig. 7 represents a previously unpublished muling in which the obverse die style of 1861-1862 is paired with the reverse die of 1859-1860. Apparently, after the reverse die of 1860 broke, the mint reverted to using the reverse die 1859-1860, since that die was still functional. This coin, along with several other examples was part of a large hoard of Oaxaca mint 8 Reales of this period found in the 1990s.
In terms of the quality of its die workmanship, the coinage of the die style of 1861-1862 can be considered among the crudest in the entire Cap & Ray series. The overall design elements lack artistic refinement, the letters in the legends are placed unevenly and crudely engraved local punches replace worn out or broken punches (e.g., the “EP” of “REPUBLICA”, see figs. 9-12). As with the previous dates in this series, these coins exhibit multiple problems in manufacture, such as flatness of strike, improperly annealed dies, etc. However, unlike the earlier coinage, many different dies were produced in the style of 1861-1862, some examples of this can be seen in figs. 8-12.
In 1863, a reformation took place and remedied many of the problems associated with the coinage issues of the previous two years. Several new die styles were introduced and gradually evolved until the end of 1863, at which point the mint ceased to strike coins until it re-opened in 1867 (see figs. 13-18, for examples).
The 8 reales of 1870 has an interesting history. The Mint of Oaxaca minted 8 reales in 1869, but stopped doing so with the decree of 27 November 1867 in which President Benito Juárez implemented the decimal system in Mexico, ordering the minting of pesos and centavos. This mint, along with the one in Mexico City, was the first to mint Balance pesos in 1869. Later, with the decree of President Lerdo de Tejada on 30 May 1873, decimal coins were ordered stopped, so the system of reales was restored, and Oaxaca re-minted 8 reales in 1873.
In 1997, Antonio Deana Salmerón published an article on this coin{footnote}Antonio Deana Salmerón, "The So-called 8 Reales de Oaxaca Coin of 1870" in El Boletín Numismatico, 1997, available on the USMexNA online library{/footnote}. He recorded that Henry Christensen, a prominent dealer in Spanish-American coins in Madison, New Jersey, in compiling an inventory of 8 reales, listed a 8 Reales 1870 A.E. as belonging to the Pradeau collection. Pradeau{footnote}Pradeau{/footnote} himself illustrated the reverse of this coin in the fourth volume of his Numismatic History of Mexico and Utberg{footnote}{/footnote} also noted two examples of this date. On the other hand, Clyde Hubbard and Theodore Buttrey in their A Guide Book of Mexican Coins 1822 to date{footnote}{/footnote}) did not list the 1870 8 reales.
Deana Salmerón decided that the mint was producing Balance Scale pesos in 1870 and that the various examples of this coin were contemporary counterfeits. He notes that “a significant and most important detail is that the 1870 coin illustrated in Dr. Pradeau's book shows the Oa mint mark which was not used until 1873. If this coin had been struck at the Oaxaca Mint, it is logical to believe that the O alone would have been used as it was progressively from 1861 to 1869. This is of vital importance since it gives us the key to determine that this coin is a fake. Additionally, in 1870 it was not known that the mint was to return to the striking of 8 Reales. Consequently, no new logotype as mintmark had been designed. All this tells us that the counterfeiting of these coins must have been done after 1873 when the Oa mintmark was used."
The case of the Oaxaca 8 R 1870 is not the only one as there is the one peso 1870 San Luis Potosi with the initial "H" which never existed but was registered in special catalogs for more than 30 years as well as several 8 Reales from Chihuahua, Guadalajara, Guanajuato, Mexico, San Luis Potosi and many others from other mints whose assayer initials never existed.
During this brief four-year period, the coinage of Oaxaca provides the numismatist with a wealth of variety, a large measure of confusion and numerous unanswered questions. Collectors and catalogers have long been confused over how to organize the coinage of this period. There are three different mintmarks and two assayers. Some have chosen to organize by date and then note the mintnark variety and assayer for each coin. Others have preferred to list the coins by mintmark and then by date and assayer under each mintmark.
For years Donigan and Parker{footnote}{/footnote} wondered how and why any mint could produce coins so drastically different in style, fabric, and quality. Why would they use two mintnarks in some years and three in another?
There were the extremely crude issues of 1861 and 1862 with the a inside O rnintnark and the FR assayer. At the same time there was a nicely styled and much better executed issue that bad the O mintmark also with the FR initials. In 1863 the issue with the O mintmark and the FR initials continued in the same style of the two previous years, but there appeared three different coins with the assayer's initials AE. One was nicely styled and deeply engraved with the a inside O mintmark. Another, which was also nicely styled and bore some similarity to the preceding coin had the unusual mintmark of an a above the O. The two preceding coins are very rare and seldom encountered, but the third coin, which also bears the assayer's initials AE, has only the O mintmark. This last coin is nicely styled with good die workmanship. It is similar to, but better executed than the a above O mintmark issue of the same year.
In trying to organize this in a satisfactory way, Donigan and Parker kept running into a wall. When they tried to sort by date nothing made sense. When they tried sorting by mintmark the styles did not match up and overlapped. Sorting by assayer was equally fruitless. In short, nothing made any logical sense. Finally, out of frustration, they decided to practice what they preached and listen to the coins. To make a long story short, it became apparent that there were two mints working simultaneously in Oaxaca. Both of these mints were striking coins from 1861 through 1863 and operating under the same assayer in 1861 and 1862. Their equipment would have been very different, accounting for the major differences in quality and style.
The first of these mints produced the crude 1861 and 1862 issues with the a inside O mintmark and later the three 1863 AE issues. Donigan and Parker consider this the first mint because it is their theory, based on the mintmark (a inside O) and the fact that production seems to have continued uninterrupted, that this is the mint where the previous Oaxaca coinage was struck. They have no explanation for the marked deterioration in style between 1860 and 1861.
The second mint probably opened in the latter part of 1861, based on the relative rarity of the 1861 issue. The mintmark change to O (no a) was undoubtedly to identify the new mint. The mint operated, apparently continuously, from 1861 to 1864 maintaining the same Die Style and most likely using the same punches. All issues from this mint bear the assayer initials FR.
Real de Catorce ia an area with quite a few silver mines in the state of San Luis Potosí, 144 miles north of the capital city.
The miners had to send the silver to the capital for coinage, for which they paid costs such as transportation, discounts, commissions and taxes, the settlers always had the idea of establishing a mint to avoid these complications, another problem was that the road from the town to the capital of San Luis Potosí had gaps and bad terrain which caused delays in the delivery of the ore and the return in silver coin, this caused a lack of circulating currency in Real del Catorce which in turn caused an overvaluation of the prices of silver and the circulating currency.
On 12 September 1861 the federal government approved[text needed] the erection of two mint in San Luis Potosí (although the San Luis Potosí mint was already in operation since the decree of 30 March 1827). A short time later, on 23 September, the contract for the lease of the Mint of San Luis Potosí for a period of ten years was signed, with the commitment to install new machinery.
Since the government united both mints as one, the lease contract for both mints went to Senator Cayetano Rubio, who led a group of powerful miners in the area, but due to the instability of the time he had to cede the contract (made up of all his shares) to the brothers Víctor and Anacleto García y Cortina of Cortina y Compañía. In order to establish the Catorce mint they partnered with Santos de la Maza and Francisco de la Maza{footnote}for more información on de la Maza, see Pedro Cosi de la Maza, “Don Santos de la Maza and The Mint of de Catorce”, in El Boletín, Vol. VI, No. 53, October-December 1966 , Sociedad Numismática de México (available on the USMexNA online library){/footnote}. Rubio's contract with the government was for 47,000 pesos in cash and 53,000 pesos in bonds, in addition to a loan to the government for 187,903 pesos with an annual interest rate of 6%, for a period of ten years,
The minting machinery was purchased in Philadelphia from the Makers and Morgan Company, by Anacleto Terán and Anastasio García, the cost of the equipment was $80,000 gold pesos. All the tools were shipped and installed in the facilities that Santos de la Maza had built in the main square of the town, at a cost of $80,000. For a short time, the San Luis Potosí mint lent machinery to Catorce while the one they had requested arrived. In the same vein, a new lease was requested from President Juárez, which was granted for a new extension of ten years.
Despite the above, problems were not long in coming. At the end of 1863, a letter signed by the military commander, Manuel Bailen, arrived ordering the suspension of all work. There was great pressure in San Luis Potosí due to the arrival of the Imperialist forces, who had already taken the capital and secured its Mint. Real del Catorce was taken over from December 1863 to March 1866, with the mint closing in 1864, reopening the following year.
On 23 January 1864, the Juaristas fled from Matehuala and the Imperialists immediately entered Real de Catorce, On that same date, the cabildo of the capital of San Luis Potosí requested the closure of the Real del Catorce mint by the wishes of the Imperial Regency. On 11 December 1864, Juárez ordered the closure of the mint (despite it being in the hands of the Imperialists), and a counter-order for its opening was given on 3 January 1865.
During its period of operation (1863 to 1869), the Real de Catorce mint went through two wars: the War of Reform and the French Intervention. It is worth mentioning that from 1857 to 1861 there were ten governors of the state, a sign of the constant change of ideals of the time.
The mint began operations on 17 May 1863 by die-cutting the first silver coins of 2, 4 and 8 reales, There were small interruptions but the die-cutting work continued until 28 November. The Juaristas were in the town before leaving and witnessed the first coinage of the new mint, it is even said that President Juárez himself was present (hypothesis not confirmed).
KM-374.1 Real de Catorce 2r (Stack’s Bowers auction, 16 May 2023, lot 70509)
KM-375 Real de Catorce 4r small C (Stack’s Bowers auction, 23 February 2022, lot 37442)
KM-375 Real de Catorce 4r large C (Stack’s Bowers auction, 24 June 2021, lot 72358)
KM-377.1 Real de Catorce 8r (Stack’s Bowers NYINC auction, 14 January 2017, lot 3162)
Upon the arrival of Emperor Maximilian, fearful that Juárez's forces might take over the mint, he ordered its closure. Several letters were sent to the Emperor by the city council and citizens to revoke the decision, but Maximilian did not budge and the order stood.
In addition to these first complications, the governor of the state, Santos Degollado, imposed a forced loan of $20,000 on Real del Catorce: the leading miners as well as the city council refused to grant them, so Santos de la Maza was arrested. Due to this bad behaviour, a new forced loan for $35,000 was imposed shortly after, but as the coffers ce were almost empty, only less than half could be collected.
In August 1866 the town was again occupied by the Liberal colonel Pedro Martínez, the colonel's troops looted the town but found no more than 300 pesos, the soldiers broke into the facilities of the (now inactive) mint, stole machines and materials and broke the rest. It is important to mention that the minting presses had been moved to the capital in previous years, so the vandals only destroyed minor machinery.
The order to close the mint sent by Maximilian was administratively enforced in February 1866 through General Mejía with the main objective that the Juaristas could not make money. Months before, he had made administrative changes in the workforce of several mints, including Real del Catorce. Thus, in February 1866 he appointed Francisco Villar as assayer at Real del Catorce. Villar resigned shortly after, so in March of the same year Trinidad Gómez Gordillo was appointed assayer. However, neither of these has their initials on coins as "M.L." (Mariano León) appears on all issues.
In February 1865, the Prefect of the Empire, Darios de los Reyes, mentioned in a report that Real del Catorce mint represented losses to the treasury, compared to other mints, and requested that the contract be reviewed and nullified.
Due to all these complications, the town gradually lost its years of splendour, people closed their businesses and left, many moving to Matehuala taking advantage of the fact that it was also a relevant mining area. When Juárez restored the Republic, peace and security gradually returned, but stability was really consolidated in the last two decades of the nineteenth century during the administration of President Porfirio Díaz: In those years Real del Catorce returned to functioning, the mines re-opened and businesses returned to work.
The only date is 1863. Dunigan & Parker {footnote}Mike Dunigan and Parker, Resplandores, 1998{/footnote} argue that in 1864 and 1865 coins were dated 1863, so as not to offend the Imperialists, who had arrived in Mexico in 1864. On this same subject, Richard G. Doty{footnote}Richard G. Doty, 1992{/footnote} suggests that during the period of the Second Empire (1863-1867) multiple mints minted coins with dates prior to the intervention, such as Mexico City or Zacatecas, of which there is an abundance of coins from 1863, compared to other nearby years. This was because the tenants of the mint, not knowing how the precarious social, economic and political situation of the time would turn out, preferred to "shield" themselves and avoid trouble.
There is a possibility, according to Pradeau{footnote}{/footnote}, that copper coins were issued at the mint in mid-1864, since there is a document that obliges the citizens of the area to accept as official currency the copper coins are minted at the Mint[text needed].
This coin{footnote}listed in Frank W. Grove, Tokens of Mexico, with number 2022{/footnote} was minted (or restamped) on cuartillas or octavos of San Luis Potosí dated in 1859. The diameter of the piece is 21 millimetres, the restamp "Ce" is the abbreviation of the mint. There are varieties in stamps, the rarest being the one with stars surrounding the "Ce".
Finally, the State Legislature decreed the closure of the Mint on 15 November 1869, approved by the governor of the state, General Mariano Escobedo. Minting operations ceased on 28 November 1869{footnote}Pradeau,(/footnote). In a last attempt at survival, the Legislature approved a request to maintain the assay office until 1872, the year in which all operations officially ended.
During its years of operations Real de Catorce minted currency for a total of 6,281,008.25 pesos, 95% of it in 8 reales coins. However, it seems that this amount refers only to the coins minted in 1863. Montejano Aguiñaga{footnote}Rafael Montejano y Aguiñaga, “Las Acuñaciones de El Real del Catorce, S.L.P.” in the Gaceta de la Sociedad Numismática de Monterrey, April 1980{/footnote} reports that the mint produced coins for $1,321,545 in 1865 and $167,860 pesos in 1866, which should probably be added to the previous amount. Pradeau, mentions that the mint was reopened on 16 February 1865, minting in that same month 65,000 pesos.
Pomposo Sanabria was an engraver in San Luis Potosí from 1827 to 1861, and worked for Real de Catorce from 1863. In the 8 Reales coins of 1863 we can find the variety "Ce/Pi" this is due to the fact that several dies from San Luis Potosí were re-used in Real de Catorce, with only the mint and assayer changed in the matrix. There is also a ML/C variety, that is, with the Catorce assayer Mariano León, on a coin previously used in San Luis Potosí by the assayer M.C. (Mariano Cataño).
As a final reflection we can find several reasons why this mint was not a success despite being in a rich mining area. The first was its proximity to the mint of the capital, San Luis Potosí. In history this proximity to other mints always ends badly, as happened to the mint of Tlalpan with that of Mexico City. A second reason was the the political situation, with the conflict between the pro-imperialist conservatives and the pro-Juárez liberals. Thirdly, Real del Catorce is in a complicated geographical area, which made it difficult to transport and distribute its silver. And finally, the mint had the envy of its neighbour in Mexico City. Before the mint was established in Real de Catorce all the silver was sent to the capital (which opened its mint in 1827: when this ceased it angered the capital's residents.
The building where the Mint was located was returned to Santos de la Maza, where it became his offices, known as "Casa Maza." Today it is the "Centro Cultural Real del Catorce" where cultural events are held.
| from | to | |
| 12 February 1861 | 28 November 1869 | Jorge Santos de la Maza, Miguel M. de Alavia and Viceme lrizan |
| Initial | Name | Began on | Left office on |
| ML | Mariano León{footnote}Mariano de León received an annual salary of $1,500 pesos for his services{/footnote} | 1863 | 1863 |
The San Luis Potosí mint opened late in 1827 and began striking 8 Reales. With the exception of two interruptions Cap and Rays 8 Reales were struck at this mint from its opening until its closing on 1 May 1893. The first occurred during the Maximilian era, when the mint was occupied by Imperial forces from 25 December 1863 until 25 December 1866. Apparently, the mint continued operations issuing Republican coi ns for a brief time after the occupation. Four and eight reales are known dated 1864 and both are very rare. In 1864 this mint issued Imperial type five and ten centavos and in 1866 Pesos with the portrait of Maximilian. It is also possible that the Imperial Government struck coins in the Potosí mint with dies datcd 1863. The second interruption took place when 8 Reales coinage was suspended from 1870-1873 in favor of the Balance Scale Peso.
| from | to | |
| l October 1827 | 23 October 1835 | Government of the State of San Luis Potosi |
| 23 October 1835 | 1857 | Government of the Republic of Mexico |
| 1857 | 12 September 1861 | Cayetano Rubio |
| 12 September 1861 | 16 March 1872 | Garcia Cortina y Cia. |
| 16 March 1872 | 15 September 1873 | Cia. Arrendaria de la Ceca de San Luis Potosi (Subsidiary of Sucesores de Larrache y Cia.) |
| l October 1873 | 1 June 1876 | Government of the Republic of Mexico |
| 1 June 1876 | 1 May 1893 | Sucesores de Larrache y Cia. |
| Initial | Name | Began on | Left office on |
| SA | Juan Sanabria | 1827 | 1842 |
| JS | Juan Sanabria | 1827 | 1842 |
| PS | Pomposo Sanabria | 1842 | 1843 |
| 1849 | |||
| 1857 | 1861 | ||
| 1867 | 1870 | ||
| AM | José Antonio Muncharraz | 1843 | 1849 |
| MC | Mariaño Catano | 1849 | 1860 |
| RO | Romualdo Obregón | 1859 | 1865 |
| FE | unknown | 1860 | |
| MO | 1863 | ||
| FC | unknown (possibly Francisco Camacho) | 1860 | 1863 |
| CA | Carlos Aguirre Gómez | 1867 | 1870 |
| LR | Luis G. Rojas | 1867 | |
| MH | Manuel Herrera Razo | 1870 | 1885 |
| BE | Blas Escontría | 1879 | 1881 |
| MM | 1884 | ||
| LC | Luis Cuevas | 1885 | 1886 |
| MR | Mariano Reyes | 1886 | 1893 |