Catalog
2 Reales Type V Countermark
| Issuer | Republic of El Salvador |
|---|---|
| Year | 1868 |
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| Thickness | 0.5 mm |
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| Obverse description | Host coin reverse of a Spanish Colonial 2 Reales (Potosí Mint, bust type), displaying the crowned Royal Arms of Spain within a shield, flanked by crowned pillars of Hercules, with the peripheral legend reading partially visible as •2R•P•R• and •SANHE•N•. Applied centrally over the shield is the El Salvador Type V countermark: a circular incuse punch depicting the arms of El Salvador — a triangle enclosing a landscape with five volcanoes and a rising sun — surrounded by a beaded border, validating the host coin for domestic circulation in 1868. |
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| Reverse description | Host coin obverse of a Spanish Colonial 2 Reales, presenting a right-facing laureate and armored bust of King Carlos III (or Carlos IV), typical of the bust-type coinage struck at the Potosí Mint between 1773 and 1789. The truncation bears the mint mark and assayer initials, partially legible as NG or similar. The peripheral legend, of which fragments remain visible, follows the standard formula CAROLUS III (or IV) DEI GRATIA. The date 1782 is visible in the lower exergual area. The field shows considerable wear and corrosion consistent with long circulation prior to countermarking. |
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| Additional information |
El Salvador lacked a functioning mint throughout most of the nineteenth century, forcing the government to rely on foreign coinage — primarily Guatemalan and Honduran pieces — to meet domestic circulation needs. Countermarking was the practical solution: existing silver was validated by official punch rather than recoinage. The Type V countermark on this 2 Reales dates to 1868, a period when the Salvadoran government was actively trying to assert control over the chaotic mix of Central American silver in circulation.
The host coin matters here as much as the countermark itself. Identifying the undertype can place this piece within a specific national emission and date range, occasionally narrowing the window considerably.