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4 Reales Countermarked
| Issuer | Cuba |
|---|---|
| Year | 1872-1877 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Silver (.903) |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | 4 Pl. 10D. 9Gs. |
| Edge | Reeded |
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| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
In the 1870s, Cuba's colonial administration faced a chronic shortage of small silver in circulation, partly because Spanish metropolitan coins were being hoarded or exported. The solution was crude but practical: existing foreign and domestic silver pieces were countermarked with an official punch authorizing continued local circulation at a revalued rate. KM#R2 specifically catalogues the countermarked 4 Reales type, with the punch applied to host coins of varying origin — meaning the underlying piece can differ substantially from example to example.
The host coin's condition before countermarking varied widely, and the punch itself was sometimes applied off-center or with uneven pressure.