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2 Reales Type II Countermark
| Issuer | El Salvador |
|---|---|
| Year | 1834-1835 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | The obverse displays the Type II El Salvador countermark — a bold zig-zag or serrated line mark (resembling a zipper or chevron pattern) applied by engraving to the host coin's field, used to validate the coin for circulation in El Salvador. The host coin is a Peruvian 2 Reales piece, showing a standing figure of Liberty facing front, helmeted and draped, holding a staff in the left hand and resting the right hand upon a shield inscribed with the denomination; the surrounding legend reads FIRME Y FELIZ POR LA UNION within a beaded border. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | FIRME Y FELIZ POR LA UNION |
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| Additional information |
In the early 1830s, El Salvador faced a chronic shortage of reliable coinage as the Central American Federation began fracturing. Rather than strike original coin, Salvadoran authorities applied a countermark to existing 2 Reales pieces — primarily Guatemalan and Mexican issues already in circulation — to authenticate and officially sanction them for domestic use. The Type II punch is distinct from the earlier Type I, though attribution of individual pieces to one type or the other depends heavily on the specific host coin and the placement and sharpness of the applied mark.
Host coin condition governs everything here. The countermark itself is often the cleaner element.