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10 Bits
| Issuer | Martinique |
|---|---|
| Year | 1764 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 10 Bits (0.10) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | VTRAQUE VNUM |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Martinique's "bits" were not a native denomination but a pragmatic solution to a chronic coin shortage that plagued the French Caribbean throughout the eighteenth century. Spanish colonial reales, the dominant specie in circulation across the region, were counterstamped and officially revalued to function within the local monetary system. The 10 Bits designation placed this piece near the top of that hierarchy.
KM#10 corresponds to a counterstamped Spanish colonial 8 reales — the ubiquitous "piece of eight" — with the stamp applied under French colonial authority to legitimize its local circulation at a fixed rate. The 1764 date reflects the period of counterstamping, not necessarily the host coin's own mint date.