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4 Shillings 1½ Pence Type II countermark on Mexican 8 Reales of Carl III
| Issuer | Tortola |
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| Year | 1802-1805 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | A halved section of a Spanish colonial Mexican 8 Reales, displaying a laureate and draped bust of King Charles III facing right, with the surrounding legend partially visible along the cut edge. Applied to the field is an oval Tortola countermark bearing the island name TORTOLA, authenticating the piece for local circulation. The host coin's obverse legend, partially preserved, reads CAROLUS III DEI GRATIA with a partial date. The countermark is struck in an incuse or relief cartouche typical of British Caribbean emergency coinage of the early nineteenth century. |
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| Mintage | ND (1802-1805) Mo - Host coin dates from 1772 to 1789 |
| Additional information |
Tortola's chronic shortage of specie in the early nineteenth century forced colonial authorities to improvise with whatever coinage arrived in the islands. Spanish colonial 8 reales — the dominant trade coin of the Atlantic world — were cut, countermarked, and revalued to stretch the money supply. This particular Type II countermark distinguished reworked pieces from the earlier Type I issues, which had circulated at a different official rate and created enough confusion that a second authorisation was required.
The host coins bear the portrait of Carlos III, who had died in 1788, meaning every piece in this series was already over a decade old before Tortola's stamp was applied.