1822 Iturbide 8 Escudos Gold Coin: Value & Prices

If you have an 1822 8 Escudos with Agustín de Iturbide on it, you are holding one of the more desirable gold coins from Mexico's short-lived first empire. This is not a common coin, and it is not one of the pieces worth only its melt value. Depending on grade, examples trade from roughly 3,000 USD into the tens of thousands at auction. In 2026, gold prices and collector demand both push these figures higher.

What you actually have

The 8 Escudos was the largest gold denomination of the Spanish colonial monetary system, popularly called an "onza" (ounce) even though it does not weigh a full troy ounce. Your 1822 example was struck at the Mexico City mint during the brief reign of Agustín de Iturbide, who declared himself Emperor of Mexico after independence and ruled for less than a year before being deposed.

That short reign is exactly why the coin matters. Very few dates and denominations were produced under the empire, so the imperial gold is scarce and collectors compete for it.

The specs (check these first)

Feature	Detail
Denomination	8 Escudos gold
Year	1822
Mint	Mexico City
Assayer initials	JM
Metal	Gold, .900 fine
Weight	26.96 g
Diameter	36 mm
Edge	Diagonal reeded
Catalog reference	KM#313.1

The assayer was the mint official responsible for certifying the fineness of the metal. On this issue the initials are JM. That letter combination, the mint mark, and the engraving style are all things graders and forgers pay close attention to, so they matter for authentication.

What it is worth in USD

There are two floors and one ceiling to think about.

Melt value. At .900 fineness and 26.96 grams, this coin contains about 24.3 grams (roughly 0.78 troy ounces) of pure gold. That gives it a metal floor that moves with the gold price. Even a worn, damaged example is worth close to that intrinsic gold value, which is already well over a thousand dollars at current prices.

Collector value. A genuine, problem-free 1822 Iturbide 8 Escudos sells for a strong premium over melt because of its rarity and historical importance. Circulated examples commonly bring several thousand dollars. High-grade, certified pieces (graded by NGC or PCGS) can reach five figures. There are recorded auction results well into the tens of thousands of dollars for the finest known examples of Iturbide gold.

Because values swing hard on grade and authenticity, treat any single number you see online as a starting point, not the answer for your specific coin.

The catch: fakes are everywhere

Colonial and imperial Mexican gold is heavily counterfeited. That is the single biggest reason not to celebrate before you verify. A convincing fake can fool the eye, and some are even made from real gold to pass a weight test.

How to do a first check yourself:

• Weigh it on a jewelry scale. It should be very close to 26.96 g.
• Measure the diameter with calipers. It should be 36 mm.
• Check the edge. It should show diagonal reeding.
• Look at the engraving, mint mark, and assayer letters (JM). Soft, mushy, or slightly wrong lettering is a red flag.

A coin that passes these is promising but still not proven. For a piece at this value, the only real answer is third-party grading. Send it to NGC or PCGS. Certification protects the value and makes it far easier to sell.

Where to sell it

Do not dump a coin like this to the first buyer on social media. Your best options:

• A verified numismatic dealer who will appraise it in person and let you see the weighing.
• A major auction house (the kind that handles world gold) if the coin is high grade and certified. That is where the record prices happen.
• The Pesoteca buy-and-sell forum to reach collectors directly and gauge real demand.

Before you sell, photograph the obverse, reverse, and edge in good light, and get the coin certified if it looks genuine. A raw coin sells at a discount because the buyer is taking the authenticity risk.

Related reading on Pesoteca

• Learn how gold coin fineness and melt value set the floor price on any piece like this.
• Compare with the Centenario 50 Pesos, Mexico's best-known modern gold coin.
• Not sure about a coin? Post clear photos in the Pesoteca forum and let the community weigh in before you buy or sell.

Have an 1822 Iturbide 8 Escudos in the family? Share its weight and clear photos of both sides in the forum, and we will help you figure out whether it is the real thing.