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1 Céntimo Countermark over United States 1 Cent 1844
| Issuer | Paraguay |
|---|---|
| Year | 1865 |
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| Value | 1 Cent (0.01) |
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| Obverse description | Draped bust of Liberty facing left, engraved by Christian Gobrecht, with thirteen stars arranged around the rim and the date 1844 below the effigy — all elements characteristic of the United States Braided Hair large cent host coin. Superimposed upon the field is a circular countermark applied by Paraguayan authorities, depicting a seated lion below a Liberty cap on staff, dividing the punched date 1865; this device is known as the 'Sello de Hacienda,' one of Paraguay's two official national coat of arms seals. The countermark was struck to validate the host coin for emergency circulation during the Paraguayan War period. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA arcing around the upper field, with ONE CENT inscribed in the central area within a wreath of laurel and oak branches tied at the base. The design follows the standard Braided Hair cent reverse type as designed for the United States Mint, with the denomination prominently featured within the decorative wreath. The overall surface shows wear consistent with the coin's extended use both as a United States circulating piece and subsequently as a countermarked Paraguayan emergency issue. |
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| Additional information |
Paraguay's countermarking of American cents in 1865 was a wartime improvisation born of catastrophic circumstance. The War of the Triple Alliance, which began that same year, rapidly destroyed the country's capacity for normal commerce. With no mint of its own and monetary infrastructure collapsing under the combined pressure of Brazilian, Argentine, and Uruguayan forces, Paraguay resorted to validating foreign copper coinage already in circulation rather than produce new pieces.
The 1844 Philadelphia cent beneath the countermark is a Braided Hair type, struck over two decades before it received its Paraguayan authorization stamp.