Catalog
3 Real Countermark 3 in square
| Issuer | Curaçao |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Milled, Countermarked |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Host coin obverse of a Spanish 2 reales or peseta, featuring the crowned quartered arms of Castile and León within a polylobe cartouche at center, divided by a cross. Superimposed at center is a deeply struck rectangular countermark enclosing the numeral '3', applied by Curaçao colonial authorities to revalue the host coin to 3 reales. The surrounding circular legend of the host coin reads partially visible as HISPANI AR M REX with the date 1721, in Latin script within a milled border. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
During the Napoleonic Wars, Curaçao changed hands repeatedly between the Dutch and the British, creating chronic shortages of fractional silver. The colonial administration resorted to countermarking foreign coins — predominantly Spanish and Spanish colonial reales — to authorize them for local circulation at revalued denominations. The punched square containing the numeral 3 is the authentication mark, applied to certify both the coin's legitimacy and its assigned value within the island's constrained monetary supply.
Scholt's listing in volume II without a corresponding entry in volume I suggests later documentary recognition of the type.