2 Reales Type III Counterstamp

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.