Catalog
6 Shillings 8 Pence - George II FERDND VI D G HISPAN ET IND REX, imperial crown, Mexico City, countermarked
| Issuer | Jamaica |
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| Year | 1758 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | The obverse displays the crowned Royal Arms of Spain, featuring the quartered shield of Castile and León surmounted by an elaborate imperial crown. Flanking the shield are the mint mark 'MM' (Mexico City) to the left and the denomination numeral '8' to the right. The circular legend reads FERDND VI D G HISPAN ET IND REX. A Jamaican countermark comprising the crowned royal cypher 'GR' (Georgius Rex) has been applied to the centre of the shield, partially obscuring the original arms. The coin exhibits attractive iridescent toning across the silver surface. |
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| Reverse lettering | ·VTRAQUE·VNVM· M·M 1755 |
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| Additional information |
Jamaica's chronic shortage of small currency in the mid-eighteenth century forced the colonial authorities into a pragmatic solution: countermarking Spanish colonial eight-reales pieces — here a Mexican issue of Ferdinand VI — for local circulation at a fixed tariff value. The 1758 date reflects the Spanish host coin, not the countermarking event itself, which likely occurred under standing orders authorizing the practice across multiple years of George II's reign.
KM#8.3 distinguishes this by the specific host coin type, the crowned GR countermark applied at Kingston being the authenticating device. Forgeries of countermarked colonial issues were a documented problem throughout the Caribbean.