Catalog
8 Reales Type V Counterstamp
| Issuer | Casa Nacional de Moneda de Costa Rica |
|---|---|
| Year | 1846 |
| Type | Emergency coin |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Applied counterstamp of 14 mm diameter depicting a radiant sun rising above a range of mountains, all contained within a beaded or incuse circle. The surrounding legend reads REPUB. DE CENT. DE AMER. with the date 1846, identifying this as a Central American Republic validation mark. The stamp is struck onto the surface of an underlying macuquina (cob) host coin of hammered fabric. Lettering is in Latin script and the overall design reflects the republican iconography common to Central American coinage of the mid-nineteenth century. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | HABILITADA EN COSTA RICA J.B. 2 R 8 (Translation: Enabled in Costa Rica Juan Barth 2 Reales 8 Reales) |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Costa Rica's mid-century coinage situation was, bluntly, a mess. The young republic lacked the infrastructure to mint its own silver on any reliable scale, so it fell back on a practice common across Central America: counterstamping circulating Spanish colonial and early republican 8 reales to legitimize them as domestic currency. The Type V application — a distinct punch from earlier types — dates the official sanction of these particular host coins to 1846.
Host coin identity matters considerably here. The counterstamp traveled across a range of underlying pieces, and the origin and date of the host affects both rarity and collector interest far more than the stamp itself.