2 Reales Type VII Countermark

Costa Rica's mid-century monetary situation was genuinely chaotic. The young republic lacked a functioning mint capable of producing sufficient coinage, so the government authorized countermarking foreign silver — predominantly Central American Federation pieces and Spanish colonial cobs — to legitimize them for domestic circulation. The Type VII punch, applied from 1849 onward, was one of several successive countermark types introduced as earlier marks proved too easy to forge.

Forgeries of the countermark itself were a documented problem throughout the period, which is why authentication of the host coin's silver content matters as much as the punch.