4 Shillings 1½ Pence Type II countermark on Mexican 8 Reales of Carl III

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.