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4 Reales Type IV Counterstamp
| Issuer | Casa Nacional de Moneda de Costa Rica |
|---|---|
| Year | 1846 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 13.4 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Counterstamp on the reverse of the host coin featuring a tree dividing the denomination within an inner circle, with the legend HABILITADA EN COSTA-RICA and the initials J.B. flanking the fractional real denomination 1• R• in the outer annulus. A secondary rectangular counterstamp bearing the numeral 4 within a square punch is also present, confirming the revalidated face value of 4 Reales. The combination of stamps reflects the emergency monetary revalidation practice carried out under the authority of the Costa Rican monetary administration. |
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| Additional information |
Costa Rica lacked a functioning mint for most of the early republican period, relying instead on counterstamped foreign silver to serve domestic commerce. This Type IV application — the fourth iteration of Costa Rica's counterstamp program — was applied to circulating macuquina and milled coinage already in the monetary stream, effectively nationalizing foreign silver by fiat rather than by smelting and recoining it.
KM#51 is notoriously difficult to attribute cleanly: the host coin beneath the stamp matters considerably to specialists, and misattributed examples surface regularly at auction.