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8 Escudos - Isabella II Countermark on Mexico 8 Escudos
| Issuer | Philippines |
|---|---|
| Year | 1834-1837 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | KM#141.4 |
| Obverse description | Central device depicts an open book inscribed LEY (Law) surmounted by a Phrygian liberty cap on a staff, with a cannon to the right, all within a reeded border. A small oval Philippine countermark, applied during the reign of Isabella II, is struck upon the central field of the host coin. The peripheral legend reads LA LIBERTAD EN LA LEY (Freedom in the Law), flanked by a star at left. The lower legend records the denomination, mint mark, date, assayer initials, and fineness: 8E·Mo·1825·J·M·21Qs. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
In the early 1830s, the Philippines faced a chronic shortage of locally minted gold coinage. Rather than strike entirely new pieces, colonial authorities authorized the countermarking of circulating Mexican 8 escudos — already abundant in Pacific trade — with the crowned "F.7" or Isabella cipher to legitimize them as official Philippine currency under the new reign. The host coins are typically Ferdinand VII or early Mexican Republic issues, and the countermark placement varies enough to suggest application by multiple hands at the Manila Casa de Moneda.
Finding a specimen where the countermark falls cleanly without obscuring the host coin's own assayer marks is genuinely uncommon.