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8 Reales Type II Counter-mark
| Issuer | 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 | Hammered cob flan displaying the crowned quartered Royal Arms of Castile and León as the host coin's obverse design, with castles and lions in alternating quarters enclosed within a beaded border, partially visible due to the irregular cob planchet. Superimposed at an angle in the upper central field is the Guatemalan Type II countermark: a crowned cartouche or shield bearing the letters and devices associated with the Guatemalan monetary authority, applied by punch over the host coin's surface. The mint mark 'P' and assayer initial 'T' are partially legible to the left of the central cross, consistent with a Potosí mint host coin. The overall surface exhibits the characteristic rough texture and uneven strike of hammered cob coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse of the host cob coin displays the bold quartered cross (cruz) design typical of Spanish colonial macuquina coinage, dividing the field into four sections. The upper-left and lower-right quadrants bear a crowned castle (Castile), while the upper-right and lower-left quadrants display a rampant lion (León), all rendered in the coarse, high-relief style characteristic of hammered cob production. A beaded border surrounds the design, partially preserved along the irregular edge of the planchet. Fragments of the circular Latin legend are visible around the periphery, though largely off-flan as is typical for this coinage type. The flan shows characteristic cracks and surface irregularities inherent to the hammered cob manufacturing process. |
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| Additional information |
Guatemala's post-independence monetary situation was chaotic enough that circulating Spanish colonial 8 reales — and a flood of debased Latin American republican issues — were being accepted without any official sanction. The 1839 countermark program was a direct administrative response: a way to validate and nationalize foreign silver already in circulation without striking new coin from scratch.
The Type II punch superseded the short-lived Type I after concerns about the legibility and security of the earlier mark. KM#94 host coins vary considerably in origin and condition, which affects premium significantly — a clean Carlos III cob host is a different animal from a worn Central American republic piece carrying the same stamp.