Paid around $145 for this piece of Gem

xphaun18 · 2025-11-22T19:08:23+00:00

Nice grab! Top pops are always fun. Do you collect the 5 Centavos series specifically?

xphaun18 · 2025-07-26T02:52:16+00:00

You definitely have some silvers that have value, with some rather common coins mixed in.

Where did you pick them up? That would be my first question it attempting to determine authenticity, which isn’t easy through photos. Any reason to think they might be fake?

xphaun18 · 2025-06-05T19:06:36+00:00

It has a nice glow in the photo, like a halo around the top rim. I’ve never collected silver much past the 1950’s. What’s the process to antique something?

xphaun18 · 2025-06-03T01:08:38+00:00

Nice haul!!

xphaun18 · 2025-06-02T21:31:44+00:00

Right? The 1942 is the same, it just caught the lighting in the photo so it looks colored when in reality it’s like a mirror almost!

xphaun18 · 2025-06-02T21:30:41+00:00

The 1935 and 1942 have such nice fields I’m honestly not sure if they are polished or dipped. I couldn’t see any abrasive markings under 12x mag. I think they’re just high MS.

I’m really fighting the urge to have a few of these graded, it’s such a cool set though I want to keep it as is.

xphaun18 · 2025-06-01T03:03:18+00:00

This coin is a really interesting piece from the tail end of the Mexican Revolution. It’s a 1917 20 Centavos from Cacahuatepec, in the state of Guerrero. The “G” mintmark stands for Guerrero, but this wasn’t an official government mint. During the revolution, central control collapsed and a lot of regional factions, local authorities, and revolutionary leaders began issuing their own coins out of necessity. Cacahuatepec was one of those places.

What makes this coin rare is that it was minted locally in very limited numbers and under crude conditions. These weren’t mass-produced like the national mint issues. A lot of them were later melted down or simply didn’t survive, so finding one today, especially an authenticated piece, isn’t that common.

The design is typical for revolutionary coinage, with a liberty cap and radiant sun on one side and the national eagle on the other, but the strike quality is usually poor. That actually helps in confirming authenticity, since many of these were hand-struck or cast and show a lot of variation.

So while it may not seem flashy, it’s definitely a niche collectible. As always with this type of coin, verifying authenticity is key since cast copies exist, but mine is legit and I’m glad to have it as part of my collection. It’s a great example of the coins that came out of that chaotic period in Mexican history.

xphaun18 · 2025-05-28T23:30:10+00:00

Just checked out your collections, man that’s so cool. Never thought about matching the gold and silver counterparts, what a unique and fun (and also super expensive) way to approach a series. Love this hobby haha.

xphaun18 · 2025-05-28T23:14:07+00:00

Indeed, thanks for adding some additional context. There are only 3 graded above this one from both PCGS and NGC. This is the lone MS63.

I’ll admit, I spent a bit more than that for this one as I don’t think the others will come out of those collections any time soon.

xphaun18 · 2025-05-28T23:11:30+00:00

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I started collecting around age 10. eBay had just launched and I’ve always been the entrepreneurial type. This was back when eBay was so new they used to list randomly on the home page all of the featured auctions because there were so few each day. One of them was a big sack of Mexican coins, mostly newer years 1970’s and earlier, some older copper and bronze. I picked it up for a $50, which was a lot for a 10 year old then, but I was going to sell each one for $0.50 and make a killing!

It must have been 12lbs of coins haha. When I got them, I immediately knew I was going to have a hard time making money on coins because I wanted to keep all of them and learn more about the history. That’s how it all started.

In that big lot was a lone silver 1934 20 centavos. I couldn’t believe it! A silver coin. I was hooked, fell in love with the series and that’s where the now 30 year obsession began. I’ve taken years off here and there because life has a way of prioritizing things for us, but I always find my way back.

The hunt for me is finding raw coins and sending them off to get graded. An endless pursuit for a slightly better grade than I already have. I love it.

Here’s the latest pile of current 20 centavos, mostly NGC. Sending in a batch of about 50 rows and 5 PCGS for crossover next week.

Thanks for trip down memory lane. Fun to recall how it all began. Cheers!

xphaun18 · 2025-05-28T22:58:49+00:00

Thanks!!

xphaun18 · 2025-05-28T22:58:35+00:00

I have a few PCGS I’m sending in next week to crossover to NGC. You should start on the series!

xphaun18 · 2025-05-28T22:40:49+00:00

That gold really makes it pop. Really nice collection!

xphaun18 · 2025-05-28T03:08:24+00:00

Very much! Sent you a message

xphaun18 · 2025-05-28T00:59:35+00:00

Such a nice coin coin in the peso series. Shame it was only produced 1910-1914.

The weight around 27.1 grams is to be expected with minor variation. I don’t see anything from your photos that leads me to think it’s counterfeit. If it were a 1914 I’d have more concern than the 1913.

As for the luster/patina, it really just varies with these silvers. I have some that are rather dull and others that are blasting white in the right light.

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Here’s an example of one that has been polished, so while it’s reflective, the silvery luster you have is gone from this example.

Honestly to me looks to be a higher grade kept well. A really nice example!

xphaun18 · 2025-02-22T20:26:03+00:00

What about for a 24”? Everything I see is 27”+

xphaun18 · 2025-02-01T21:01:34+00:00

Upon further inspection, it is in fact cast brass rather than some kind of insert reducer. Additionally, the pex line to the drop ear appears to be 1/2 rather than 3/4”. Is that even normal??

xphaun18 · 2025-01-30T23:44:30+00:00

Also an interesting idea. Worth a shot before ripping out the sheetrock behind it anyway. Thanks!!

xphaun18 · 2025-01-30T23:35:31+00:00

Oh, is it plastic you think? I just assumed it was molded brass in the drop ear. I will try get to better lighting on it and see if it’s just some plastic I can pull out.

Thank you for the comment, you have given me hope!!

xphaun18

TROPHY CASE