Catalog
2 Reales Type III Counterstamp
| Issuer | Costa Rica |
|---|---|
| Year | 1845 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 2 Reales |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The reverse presents the host coin's crowned Royal Arms of Spain within an ornate shield, flanked by the denomination 4 R and the mint assayer initials, with the peripheral legend HISPNIARUM REX IND. LEI and additional mint marks, consistent with a Madrid mint issue of Joseph Napoleon. Superimposed upon the reverse field is the Costa Rican reverse counterstamp, depicting a stylized tree with spreading branches, surrounded by the circular legend HABILITADA POR EL GOB., applied as a rectangular or oval punch to validate the coin for circulation within Costa Rica. |
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| Additional information |
Costa Rica gained independence from the Central American Federation in 1838 but spent the following decade struggling to produce sufficient circulating coinage. Rather than strike new silver domestically, the government authorized counterstamping foreign Hispanic-American 2 reales — mostly Guatemalan and Mexican issues — to legitimize them as legal tender. The Type III counterstamp, applied from 1845, is distinguished from earlier types by its horse design and is the most frequently encountered of the three varieties, though host coins vary considerably in their original condition and origin mint.