Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
4 Reales - Isabella II Countermark on Mexico 4 Reales
| Issuer | Philippines |
|---|---|
| Year | 1834-1837 |
| 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 | The obverse of the host coin features a radiant Phrygian liberty cap set at centre, emitting long alternating straight and flame-like rays that fill the field. The cap rests on a crescent-shaped base, and a small Philippine countermark — the crowned castle of Isabella II — is applied at the upper left of the cap. The peripheral legend, arranged around the lower arc, records the mint assayer initials, denomination, date, and fineness indicators. A toothed border encircles the entire design. |
|---|---|
| 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 |
The Philippine countermark program of the 1830s was a direct response to a chronic shortage of locally produced coinage. Rather than strike new coin, Spanish colonial authorities in Manila applied royal cipher punches to circulating Mexican silver, retroactively legitimizing foreign specie for domestic use. The practice was neither new nor unique to the Philippines, but the Isabella II cipher places these pieces specifically within a narrow administrative window — she was proclaimed Queen in 1833, but the regency of María Cristina governed in practice.
Mexican hosts vary considerably in strike quality and wear state, making the countermark itself often the sharpest element on the coin.