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8 Reales - Ferdinand VII Santa Marta, Countermarked
| Issuer | Santa Marta, City of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1809-1810 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 27.07 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The crowned Royal Arms of Spain displayed on a quartered shield, bearing castles and lions with a central escutcheon, flanked on either side by the Pillars of Hercules surmounted by crowns. The peripheral legend identifies the king as ruler of the Spains and Indies, with the mint mark 'Mo' for Mexico City, the denomination '8R', and the assayer initials 'T·H' appearing in the field. The entire design is encircled by a toothed or beaded border consistent with the milled coinage of the period. The image as photographed appears in reverse orientation. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Santa Marta, on the Caribbean coast of what is now Colombia, was one of the staunchly royalist holdouts during the early independence movements sweeping New Granada. When the juntas of 1810 began fracturing Spanish authority across the region, Santa Marta continued recognizing Ferdinand VII — then imprisoned by Napoleon in France — and countermarked circulating eight-reales coinage to assert that loyalty and maintain monetary authority locally. The countermark effectively re-validated coins already in circulation rather than striking new ones, a practical solution for a city that lacked full minting infrastructure.