4 Reales Type I Countermark

Costa Rica gained formal independence from the Central American Federation in 1838 but lacked the infrastructure for a functioning mint until much later. The solution was practical and immediate: foreign silver coins — primarily Spanish colonial macuquinas and early republican issues from neighboring states — were countermarked to legitimize them as domestic currency. The Type I punch, applied in 1841–42, is distinguishable from later countermark varieties by its specific die characteristics, and collectors should be alert to the well-documented prevalence of altered and forged countermarks on this type.