2 Reales Type VII Countermark

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.