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12 Bits
| Issuer | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
|---|---|
| Year | 1811 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | ·CAROLUS·IIII· DEI·GRATIA· S XII 1805 |
| Reverse description | The reverse presents the annular ring of the holed Peruvian 8 Reales host coin (KM#97), retaining the characteristic design of the Lima mint issue: the Pillars of Hercules flanked by crowned globes, surmounted by a royal crown at the top of the remaining field. The circular legend reads ·HISPAN·ET IND·REX·LIMAE·8 R·J·P·, referencing the Spanish monarch as King of the Hispanics and the Indies, with the Lima mint mark and assayers' initials J·P. The large central hole, punched to produce the 12 Bits annular piece, removes the central armorial shield of the original design. The reeded edge of the host coin remains intact around the full circumference. |
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| Additional information |
The "bits" denomination was a Caribbean monetary adaptation rooted in the Spanish colonial practice of physically cutting silver reales into fractions for small transactions. Saint Vincent, under British administration following its final capture from the French in 1797, faced a chronic shortage of small change that London was slow to remedy. Local authorities authorized the countermarking and revaluation of cut Spanish coinage to keep commerce moving.
KM#12.4 distinguishes this issue by its specific countermark variety — the details of which place it among a loosely organized series of provisional solutions that preceded any formal British colonial coinage for the Windward Islands.