2 Reales Type III Counterstamp

Costa Rica's counterstamp program of the 1840s was a practical response to chronic coin shortages in a newly independent republic with no functioning mint. Rather than strike original coinage, the government authenticated and revalued circulating foreign silver — predominantly Spanish colonial and Central American Federation issues — by applying an official punch. The Type III punch, introduced in 1845, replaced earlier cruder dies and is distinguishable by its more refined execution, though attribution between types requires careful examination of the host coin's wear relative to the stamp's sharpness.

The host coin matters as much as the counterstamp itself for valuation purposes.