2 Macutas - Maria II Countermark CROWNED SHIELD over '1 Macuta, José'

When Maria II assumed the Portuguese throne following the Liberal Wars, Angola's existing copper coinage — struck under her predecessor José — required official revalidation. Rather than recall and remelt the stock, Lisbon authorized a countermarking program in 1837: a crowned shield punched directly onto circulating 1 Macuta pieces to double their face value and signal the new reign's authority. The logistics of running such a program across colonial supply chains meant that application quality varied considerably, and Gomes catalogs at least four recognized punch varieties for this type alone.