Item number: A2657

Year: AD 1883

Material: Silver (.9030)

Size: 38.8 x 38.8 x 2.2 mm

Weight: 27.05 g

Manufactured by: Alamos Mint

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2014

This is an 8 reales silver coin minted at the Casa de Moneda de Álamos.

The obverse features the national emblem of Mexico: an eagle clutching a snake, standing atop a cactus growing from a rock in a lake. The emblem is derived from Aztec mythology, where the rock symbolises the site of Tenochtitlan, the precursor of modern Mexico City. The oak and laurel branches below, tied together with a ribbon, symbolise victory in Greco-Roman tradition and are commonly used as emblems of republicanism. Encircling the upper portion is the Latin inscription “REPUBLIC MEXICANA”, the formal national title during the period of the Restored Republic. A punch mark resembling a Chinese character similar to “主” appears on the eagle’s wing and claw. Given the extensive circulation of Spanish and Mexican silver coins in Asia and the Americas, it was common for various countermarks to be applied to coins, serving purposes such as confirming value, verifying silver content, indicating a new governing authority, modifying denominations, or revalidating circulation. These marks varied widely, ranging from simple characters and symbols to complex crests, and could appear on the obverse, reverse, or edge of the coin.

The reverse centres on a Phrygian cap bearing the inscription “LIBERTAD”, meaning “liberty” in Spanish. The cap, originating from the Roman tradition of manumitted slaves, later became a symbol of liberty and emancipation following the French Revolution. The Phrygian cap radiates beams of light, symbolising glory. Encircling the design is the inscription “★ 8R · AS · 1883 · M · L · 10DS. 20GS.”, where “8R” denotes the denomination of 8 reales, “AS” indicates the mint mark of Álamos, “1883” is the year of mintage, “M · L” represents the initials of the then mint master Manuel Larraguibel, and “10DS. 20GS.” refers to the silver fineness, calculated from 10 dineros and 20 granos. Given that 12 dineros equate to 288 granos as pure silver, this corresponds to 260 granos, or approximately 902.8‰ silver purity. Above the main design appears a punch mark resembling an inverted “示” character, and at the centre, a cross-shaped countermark is faintly visible, likely part of a larger emblem now too worn to distinguish clearly.

The edge of the coin features a continuous border with inward-facing triangular denticles. The rim is designed with densely arranged, bow-shaped arches to prevent counterfeiting and the illicit shaving of silver.

In AD 1876, Porfirio Díaz seized power through a military coup that overthrew Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada, inaugurating a prolonged period of authoritarian rule historically referred to as the Porfiriato. Although Díaz nominally upheld the republican system, he in effect established a highly centralised personal regime, relying on military force and political alliances to exert control over regional governments. He implemented extensive modernisation reforms, actively attracting foreign investment to develop the nation’s railway network, mining sector, and industrial infrastructure. However, the increasing penetration of foreign capital and government indebtedness gradually subjected Mexico’s public finances to external influence. Simultaneously, socioeconomic inequality deepened, and the living conditions of the rural peasantry and urban working class saw little improvement. Politically, freedom of expression was curtailed, local autonomy was suppressed, and beneath the surface of apparent stability, widespread discontent persisted. In AD 1910, opposition presidential candidate Francisco I. Madero was arrested and forced into exile; by AD 1911, the Díaz regime failed to suppress the growing insurgency. That same year, Díaz went into exile in France, marking the beginning of a period of revolutionary upheaval in Mexico.

During the same period, Mexican silver dollars, known as eagle dollars, had already become widely circulated along China’s coastal and inland regions, serving as principal currency for trade, taxation, and everyday transactions. Since the reigns of the Xianfeng and Tongzhi Emperors, owing to indemnity payments and the opening of treaty ports, a large influx of foreign silver entered China. The eagle dollar, with its reliable silver content and weight standard, gained the trust of the populace and merchants alike. In the 1880s, facing the pressures of the Sino-French War and fiscal deficits, the Qing government’s reliance on foreign trade deepened, further solidifying the eagle dollar’s dominance in the market. Customs offices and local authorities across China widely accepted the eagle dollar as tax payment silver, and in some regions, countermarks were applied to adjust silver content or denominational value. During this era, the eagle dollar effectively circulated alongside native silver ingots, forming a key foundation of the Qing dynasty’s late silver-based monetary system.

物件編號: A2657

年代: 公元 1883 年

材質: 銀 (903‰)

尺寸: 38.8 x 38.8 x 2.2 mm

重量: 27.05 g

製造地: 阿拉莫斯造幣廠

來源: 大城郵幣社 2014

此為阿拉莫斯造幣廠(Casa de Moneda de Álamos)所鑄行的8里爾銀幣。

銀幣正面的中央是墨西哥國徽，為一隻叼著蛇的雄鷹佇立在一棵從湖中的岩石長出的仙人掌上。國徽取自阿茲特克人的神話，而神話中所敘述的岩石，便是特諾奇蒂特蘭城的原址，也就是如今的墨西哥城。下方的橡葉與月桂在希臘羅馬神話中象徵著勝利，也因此經常作為共和制的象徵。上方環列拉丁文「REPUBLIC MEXICANA」則為復辟共和國時期之正式國號「墨西哥共和國」。下方月桂枝葉和橡樹枝葉以絲帶相繫，組成桂冠，象徵力量、勝利與榮譽。鷹翼及鷹爪上有類似漢字的戳記，字形像「主」。由於西班牙與墨西哥銀元廣泛流通於亞洲及美洲地區，因應各地制度或需求，常見各類戳記的加蓋，這些戳記包括確認幣值、驗證成色、標示新政權、更改面額或重新流通等用途。戳記形式多樣，從簡單文字、圖案至複雜徽章不等，位置亦可出現在正面、背面或幣緣。

銀幣背面中央為弗里吉亞帽，帽沿書有「LIBERTAD」，即西班牙文「自由」，源於古羅馬時期的解放奴隸，於法國大革命後，該帽成為自由與解放的象徵。弗里吉亞帽向周圍放射光芒，以彰顯榮耀。環列｢★ 8R · A^S · 1883 · M · L · 10D^S. 20G^S.｣，其中「8R 」是為面額8里爾(Real)；「A^S 」為阿拉莫斯鑄幣廠標記；「1883」為鑄行年；「M · L 」為時任鑄幣廠廠長(Mint Master)曼努埃爾·拉拉吉韋爾(Manuel Larraguibel)的姓名縮寫；｢10D^S. 20G^S ｣標示其成色為「10 Dineros 20 Granos」，其中純銀為12第納羅(dinero)，等於288格拉諾(grano)，故此幣(法定)成色為260格拉諾，260/288約為902.8‰。圖樣上方有一戳記，看似顛倒的「示」字，中央則為一十字戳記，應為更大圖樣之一部，惜因磨損難以分辨。

幣緣為環，有三角齒邊向內。幣稜為似弓的弧形，密集排列，以防偽造及磨取銀料。

公元1876年，波費里奧·迪亞斯以軍事政變推翻塞巴斯蒂安·勒爾多·德·特哈達後，進入史稱「波菲里亞托」(Porfiriato)的長期統治時期。迪亞斯名義上維持共和制度，實則建立高度中央集權的個人政權，依靠軍事與政治盟友掌控地方，並推動廣泛的現代化改革，積極引進外資發展鐵路、礦業與工業。然而，大量外國資本滲透與政府舉債使國家財政逐步受制於外國利益，社會貧富分化加劇，農民與工人階層的困苦未見改善。政治上，言論受限、地方自治受抑，表面秩序之下潛藏著廣泛不滿。公元1910年，總統參選人弗朗西斯科·I·馬德羅 (Francisco I. Madero)被捕而流亡，公元1911年，迪亞斯政權未能有效鎮壓蜂起的叛軍，同年，迪亞斯流亡法國，墨西哥進入動盪的革命時期。

於同時期，被稱為鷹洋的墨西哥銀元已在中國沿海及內地廣泛流通，成為貿易、稅收與民間交易的主要銀本位貨幣。清廷自咸豐、同治年間以來，因戰爭賠款及開放通商，導致外銀大量湧入，鷹洋因銀質穩定、重量標準而獲得民眾及商賈信賴。公元1880年代，清政府面對中法戰爭緊張局勢及財政壓力，對外貿依賴加深，鷹洋遂更加穩固其市場地位。各地海關與地方官府廣泛接受鷹洋作為稅銀，部分地區為調整成色與面值，另加蓋戳記。此時期，鷹洋在中國實質上與本國銀錠並行，為清末銀本位經濟體系的重要基礎之一。