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66 Shillings Countermark on contemporary counterfeit Brazil Joao I gold 6400 Reis 1773-R
| Issuer | Martinique |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Countermarked |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The reverse of this countermarked piece displays the obverse of the host coin, featuring the crowned Portuguese royal arms within an ornate baroque shield, supported by elaborate foliate and scroll mantling. The crowned escutcheon bears the characteristic quartered design of the Portuguese monarchy, with the five quinas and the bordure of castles. The flan shows the irregular shape and surface texture consistent with a contemporary counterfeit casting or striking of the Brazilian 6400 Reis gold type. The mint mark 'R' for Rio de Janeiro and the date 1773 appear in the legend of the host coin. |
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| Additional information |
Martinique's chronic shortage of specie in the late eighteenth century forced colonial administrators into pragmatic measures: officially countermarking whatever gold happened to circulate, including pieces whose own legitimacy was dubious. This example is a contemporary counterfeit of the Brazilian 6400 Reis — not a genuine Joao I piece from the Rio mint — that nevertheless received the crown-stamped "66" countermark authorizing it to pass at 66 shillings in local currency. The colonial authority was, in effect, warranting a fake.
KM#3 acknowledges the type exists on counterfeits. The countermark itself is what the French administration controlled; the host coin's origins were apparently secondary to the weight of gold it contained.