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8 Reales - Fernando VII Countermark on Peru 8 Reales
| Issuer | Philippines |
|---|---|
| Year | 1828 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 8 Reals |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Type I oval countermark applied to the obverse of the host Peruvian 8 Reales, featuring a crowned Spanish coat of arms within a serrated border. The countermark legend reads HABILITADO POR EL REY N.S.D. FERN VII, signifying royal validation for circulation in the Philippines. Partial legends and design elements of the underlying host coin remain visible in the field surrounding the countermark. The serrated border of the countermark stamp is clearly defined, attesting to the official character of the application. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | HABILITADO POR EL REY N.S.D. FERN VII (Translation: Validated by the King Our Lord Don Fernando VII.) |
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| Additional information |
The Philippines lacked its own mint until 1857, so for decades the colonial administration addressed chronic coin shortages by countermarking foreign silver — primarily Spanish-American pillar and portrait dollars — for official local circulation. This piece is a Peruvian 8 reales host, oval-punched with the royal cypher by order of the Manila authorities to distinguish authenticated currency from the flood of lightweight or debased pieces entering the islands through trade.
Fernando VII never visited his Pacific colonies, but his image was countermarked onto coinage circulating there well into the 1830s, years after his authority over most of Spanish America had collapsed entirely.