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8 Reales Type II Counter-mark
| Issuer | Estado de Guatemala |
|---|---|
| Year | 1839 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Countermarked, Hammered (cob) |
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| Obverse description | The obverse of the host coin displays the crowned Royal Arms of Spain within a beaded inner circle, quartered with castles and lions representing Castile and León, with Granada in base and the Royal arms of Aragon at center. The mint mark 'M' and assayer initial 'F' appear to the left of the shield, with the denomination '8' and mint mark 'M' to the right. The outer legend, partially visible on this irregularly-shaped cob flan, reads PHILIPPVS V D G HISPANIA REX with the date 1733 visible to the left. A pierced hole is visible at the right margin of the flan. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | VTRAQUE VNUM M (date of host coin) |
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| Additional information |
Guatemala's post-independence monetary situation was chaotic enough that Spanish colonial 8 reales — and foreign pieces of eight — continued circulating long after independence in 1821. The countermark program was a practical solution to authenticate and officially sanction these coins for domestic use without the expense of a full recoinage. The Type II punch, applied from 1839, replaced an earlier countermark design that had proven too easy to counterfeit.
Host coins vary considerably in origin and date, which means no two countermarked pieces are strictly identical.