On the authenticity of eight Reales 1730 Mexican silver coins by X-ray diffraction and by energy dispersion spectroscopy techniques

Ancient silver Mexican coins made during the years 1730-1734, were analyzed non-destructively by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and by optical microscopy. Nine coins of denomination eight Reales were studied. These coins belong to the numismatic private collection in Mexico. Six elements (copper, aluminum, magnesium, silicon, chromium and silver) were determined quantitatively. The coins reveal a uniform Ag concentration. Some of the items are covered with patina. A strong positive correlation between Al and Cu content and also a strong negative correlation between S and Ag were determined. The weight of the coins varied between 26.1344 and 26.9913 g, which is a good indicator of the authenticity of the items. The purpose of this work is to investigate by precise means if some of the coins were falsified or if really all of them are authentic