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2 Reales Type VII Countermark
| Issuer | Costa Rica |
|---|---|
| Year | 1849-1857 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Real (1841-1864) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | 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 retains the design of the original host coin, which based on the image appears to be a Spanish or Spanish colonial silver 2 Reales. Visible elements include a crowned quartered shield displaying castles and lions in the heraldic style typical of Spanish colonial coinage, surrounded by ornate mantling and a legend around the periphery, much of which is worn or partially obscured. The host coin's original devices and legends are partially legible, consistent with circulated silver coinage of early to mid-nineteenth century Spanish colonial origin. The field shows considerable wear and surface marks attributable to extended circulation. |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Costa Rica lacked a functioning mint for much of the mid-nineteenth century, relying instead on foreign silver — principally Spanish colonial cobs and milled coinage — countermarked to authenticate and authorize circulation. The Type VII punch, applied between 1849 and 1857, was one of several successive countermark programs intended to control currency quality as debased and clipped pieces had flooded the local economy.
Host coins vary considerably in origin and condition, meaning two examples sharing the same KM number can look entirely different beneath the punch.