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1200 Réis - Luis I Countermark 'Crowned G.P.' over 5 Francs - Congo Free State
| Issuer | Portuguese Colony of Angola |
|---|---|
| Year | 1887 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Milled, Countermarked |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Central heraldic composition featuring the arms of the Congo Free State: a shield charged with a Belgian lion passant in the lower half and a five-pointed star in the upper half, surmounted by a royal crown. Two rampant lions serve as supporters, one on each side of the shield. A scrolled ribbon below bears the motto TRAVAIL ET PROGRES in two sections. The denomination 5 FRANCS appears in the upper field, and the date 1887 is placed in the exergue. A beaded border frames the entire design. |
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| Additional information |
The "Crowned G.P." countermark — standing for Governo Português — was applied in 1887 to circulating 5 Franc pieces as an emergency measure to address chronic coin shortages in Angola. French and Belgian trade coins had been filtering into the colony through Congo Free State commerce for years, and rather than recalling them, Lisbon simply legitimized them with a punch and a new denomination. The host coin here, a Belgian 5 Francs, entered Angola's money supply via the Congo river trade networks that Leopold II was simultaneously exploiting for rubber and ivory.