A Variety Guide to the Silver and Copper Coinage of the Mexico City Mint 1772-1821
by Brad Yonaka
ISBN: 978-0-9986825-3-2
262 pp. | 8 ½ x 11 inch hardbound

In 1772, King Charles III's long delayed order to change the design of Spanish colonial coinage finally went into effect. The Mexico City mint, flush with the highest influx of mined silver it hadever experienced in its long history, began striking the newly designed silver reales by the tens of millions, all now adorned with the likeness of the king. These portraits, which over time includedhis son Charles IV, and then his son, Ferdinand VII, oversaw the final stages of the dying Spanish American colonial edifice. The coinage of this period was welcome in every trading port ofthe world, yet failed even to sustain the local Mexican economy.

This book, self-published in January 2020, is a detailed variety guide for all denominations of the silver and copper reales issues from the Mexico City mint, covering the years 1772 to 1821. Itis essentially a companion volume to previous offerings by the author entitled "A Variety Guide to the Fractional Pillar Coinage of Mexico City, 1732-1771" and "A Variety Guide to thePillar Coinage of the Guatemala Bogota, Lima, Potosi, and Santiago Mints 1751-1772". As such the layout is quite similar. The targeted audience is the collector of Spanish colonial or Mexicancoinage, and presumes the reader has a basic knowledge of 18 th century minting processes. It draws from a database of close to 5000 coin images gathered over a period of two years from onlineauctions and photographs of private collections.

No previous publication has dealt exclusively with this coinage type, and in such detail. Fifty-two new varieties are cataloged, and some speculative variety types and dates listed but unproven inpast research are refuted by lack of current evidence. With over 500 black and white photos of full coins and close-ups of variety details, this book strives to provide collectors with the mostdescriptive tools possible in pursuit of this famous coin type. Full cross references to previous catalog numbers (if they exist) are given for each entry.

The book also contains descriptive and historical information, estimated rarities (based on the author's extensive auction database and comprehensive die pairing study), and pricing guide based onrecent auction results.

Price: $65 + $5 shipping within USA for total of $70. Overseas shipping please inquire. Order by sending personal check to:

Agorocu Consulting Inc.
PO Box 41515
Long Beach, CA 90853

Or payment by Paypal to: acanthite@live.com

To read E-Sylum articles on Brad's earlier books, see:
NEW BOOK: MEXICO CITY FRACTIONAL PILLAR COINAGE (https://www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n26a04.html)
NEW BOOK: THE PILLAR COINAGE (https://www.coinbooks.org/v21/esylum_v21n33a06.html)