The FoxLair
Ultimate Mexican Republic Gold and Silver Hand Book Series
CD Format Only
Last Revision: 12/08/05
The Background Behind The Handbooks
When I began my foray into collecting Mexican Republic coins I was amazed at how few books were available for them. As a child, I collected postage stamps from the U.S. and Liberia and coins. My first coin collection was housed in one of those blue penny boards, like so many others. Later, at the advanced age of 12, I became enthralled with U.S. Large Cents; one of my uncles gave me a collection he had inherited from his father.
Even then (1950s & 1960s) there were good books, catalogs and of course the Whitman coin boards to help budding collectors know what items were needed to complete a collector’s task. I was very disappointed with Mexican Numismatics lack of published information from very early.
Several years after beginning my Mexican collections, I met that wonderful friend and great 8 Reales collector, J. B. Parker, at a coin show in Corpus Christi, Texas. When I first met J.B. he only collected 8 Reales by DAM (Date/Assayer/Mintmark), but by then I was already a serious variety collector of both 8 Reales and 8 Escudos. For I had found several Unlisted varieties for both series, which firmly hooked me.
Over the next few months, my exuberance rubbed off on J.B. and he started down that dark and less traveled road of a Variety Collector for Mexican Republic 8 Reales. Parker soon sold his other collections to pursue 8 Reales, he was fascinated by my computerized list of the varieties of both series.
J. B. soon coveted my list of 8 Reales! Shortly, after much arm twisting and threats of bodily harm, I gave him a blank printout of the DAMs and the varieties. He soon found it much too hard to use for keeping track of his collection, he was discovering new varieties not on my list every month. Later he coerced me into purchasing him a computer and loading my full list of 8 Reales varieties on it for him. Within one year he had finished attributing his collection and started on his quest to add other new varieties to his collection. We were soon competing against one another to see who could build the bigger collection of 8 Reales. It wasn’t long before J.B. came up a brilliant idea … we should publish a new book about the 8 Reales. This idea later led to Resplandores.
While helping J.B. and Mike Dunigan work on the 8 Reales book I had another brain-fart, I decided I would produce a book about the 8 Escudos.
I worked on this book for years and finally finished the text several years ago with the help of Clyde Hubbard. Then to my disappointment, I could not find a publisher for a 450+ page opus about one series of Mexican gold coins. Because I had retired several years before, I could no longer afford the 25 to 40 thousand-dollar price tag I had been quoted to privately publish my book like Dunigan and Parker did with Resplandores.
Clyde Hubbard tried to relive my depression, he said. “Ralph, quit mopping around and write several smaller volumes, and don’t make them just for advanced collectors. Use our old Buttrey & Hubbard Guide Books as a model!”
The Ultimate Mexican Republic Gold and Silver Hand Book© Series
Well here is Clyde’s idea, and a few more, again after many years of work:
Originally this product was to be a series of small (6” x 9” spiral bound) books of approximately 100 to 150 pages each. But because of drastic printing price increases they have been put on hold for an unspecified time until we can find a new printing source. If there is enough interest we will issue these handbooks in a CD format? Therefore, if you are interested in purchasing a CD format of these handbooks please contact us. These Handbooks will be issued, if there is enough interest, in the following order:
1. Mexican Republic Decimal Gold Pesos- 3rd Quarter 2006
2. Mexican Republic Gold Escudos- 4th Quarter 2006
3. Mexican Republic Minor Silver Decimals- No Date as of Now
4. Mexican Republic Minor Silver Reales- No Date as of Now
5. Mexican Republic Silver Pesos- No Date as of Now
Using the Gold Decimal Pesos Handbook as an example, each book will contain:
We are planning a retail price of $45 for each handbook in the CD format.
[Excerpts] Go to excerpts from the Gold Pesos Hand Book
[Order Form] Go to the Special Gold Pesos Hand Book Order Form
[Table of Contents] Return to the Mexican FoxLair Table of Contents
[Home Page] Return to the Mexican FoxLair Home Page