Catalog
1 Stampee Type I
| Issuer | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
|---|---|
| Year | 1797-1818 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | 22 mm |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Rectangular incuse counterstamp applied to the host coin's obverse, bearing the crowned and entwined script monogram 'SV' (for Saint Vincent) in raised relief within a sunken punch. The counterstamp occupies the central field and shows clear definition of the intertwined letters beneath a small crown. The surrounding field retains the irregular, worn surface of the underlying host coin planchet. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | SV |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The stampee was a fractional currency solution common to the Eastern Caribbean during the chronic small-change shortages of the Napoleonic Wars period, when Spanish and French colonial coins were routinely cut, countermarked, and re-denominated by British island administrations scrambling to keep local commerce functional. Saint Vincent's version involved plugging or countermarking existing billon pieces — not minting from scratch — which is why surviving examples vary considerably in their host coin origins.
The Type I designation distinguishes the earliest countermark application before administrative changes altered the punch.