8 Escudos Fernando VI 1753 Gold Coin: Value & How to Sell

If you inherited an 1753 Fernando VI 8 escudos, you own a genuine colonial gold coin, and that alone gives it a hard floor. This piece contains 26.99 grams of 0.875 fine gold, roughly 0.68 troy ounces of pure gold. At current bullion prices that metal value alone runs well over 1,500 US dollars, and a collectible example in strong condition can sell for several times that. This is one of the few old Mexican coins where the money is real.

What you actually have

The 8 escudos was the largest gold coin of the Spanish colonial system, struck in Mexico City while Nueva España was under the Spanish Crown. This specific issue dates to 1753, the reign of Fernando VI of the Bourbon dynasty. US collectors sometimes know coins of this type as "doubloons."

The hard specs, which you should verify on your own coin:

• Metal: gold, 0.875 fine (21 karat)
• Weight: 26.99 grams
• Diameter: 36 mm
• Edge: reeded and incuse (lettered)
• Mint: Casa de Moneda de México (Mexico City)
• Assayer: MF
• Year: 1753 (single-year strike for this exact combination)

Because the coin is nearly two thirds of an ounce of gold, it can never be worthless. That is the first thing to understand before anyone quotes you a lowball price.

What it's worth in 2026

Value splits into two layers: the gold floor and the collector premium.

The gold floor is simple. About 0.68 troy ounces of pure gold means the melt value tracks the daily spot price. No matter how worn the coin is, a legitimate dealer cannot honestly offer you less than that metal is worth on the day.

The collector premium is where an authentic, well-preserved 1753 8 escudos pulls ahead of a plain bullion coin. Colonial gold with good detail, original surfaces, and a certified grade sells at auction for meaningfully more than melt. Heavily circulated or damaged pieces trade closer to their gold content.

Colonial 8 escudos in top certified grades have brought five figures at major US auctions such as Heritage and Stack's Bowers, but those are exceptional coins with premium eye appeal and pedigree. A typical inherited example is far more likely to sit in the mid three to low four figures. Do not let a random buyer tell you "it's just old," and do not expect a jackpot without a certified high grade behind it.

How to tell if yours is genuine

Counterfeits of colonial gold exist, and the weight almost always gives them away. A real 1753 8 escudos weighs 26.99 grams. Fakes are commonly struck in lower-purity gold or gold-plated base metal, so they miss the weight, the diameter, or both.

Quick checks you can do at home:

1. Weigh it. Use a jewelry scale. Anything far off 26.99 grams is a red flag.
2. Measure it. It should be about 36 mm across.
3. Check the edge. This issue has a reeded, incuse (lettered) edge. A smooth or crudely cast edge is a warning sign.
4. Look at the surfaces. Cast fakes often show a grainy, soft texture and seams.

Before you buy or sell anything at this value level, get it certified. NGC and PCGS are the two grading services US collectors trust. A certified holder confirms authenticity, locks in a grade, and typically raises what a buyer will pay. For a coin worth well over a thousand dollars, the grading fee pays for itself.

Mintage and varieties

The exact mintage for this specific 1753 issue is not documented in a firm official figure, which is common for colonial strikes. That does not automatically make it ultra-rare, and it does not make it a lottery ticket either. Survivors, condition, and demand set the price, not the absence of a mintage number.

Because 1753 is a single strike year for this combination, there are no year varieties within this issue. There can be minor die varieties (letter positions, small striking differences) that specialists identify, but for most inherited coins those distinctions do not move the price. What moves the price is grade and authenticity.

Where to sell it

At this value, sell where the buyer can verify the coin in front of them and pay fair market:

• A reputable coin dealer or auction house. In the US, established firms and major auction houses handle colonial gold regularly and will pay closer to real value than a pawn shop or a jewelry "we buy gold" counter.
• The Pesoteca buy/sell forum, where collectors of Mexican coins trade directly.
• The Pesoteca dealer directory to find a verified shop that appraises on the spot.

Avoid selling to the first offer on social media, and never mail a valuable gold coin without insurance and tracking. Photograph the front, back, and edge, and get it graded before you accept any offer.

This coin belongs to the Colonial Escudos gold series and the broader Colonial / Viceroyalty era. You can also browse other 8 escudos issues and other coins dated 1753.

Have one sitting in a drawer and not sure what grade it is? Post clear photos of the front, back, and edge in the Pesoteca forum and let collectors weigh in before you sell.

Eight escudos, Fernando VI, 1753, Mexico mint, assayer MF, Krause KM#151. That year the Concordat with the Holy See was signed in Madrid, reinforcing royal patronage over the Spanish Church and guaranteeing the crown the appointment of most ecclesiastical benefices. In New Spain the Count of Revillagigedo continued as viceroy (1746-1755), in the final phase of his government. Krause references KM#151 as the second pillar type of Fernando VI in force between 1752 and 1755. The ounce weighs 27.06 theoretical grams with a fineness of 0.916. Produced by mill with a standardized round flan. The reverse keeps the classic pillar design with the crowned Pillars of Hercules and PLVS VLTRA. MF signature of the capital's workshop assayers, a mark sustained through more than a decade of work at the mint. The Royal Tribunal of Accounts of Mexico kept a precise record that year of the gold production sent to the peninsula. The piece is representative of the mint's stable cycle in the mid-18th century, when the mill already operated with consolidated precision.