1/2 Macuta - Maria II Countermark 'CROWNED SHIELD' over '1/4 Macuta, José'

In 1837, the Portuguese colonial administration in Angola undertook a systematic countermarking program to revalue and reauthorize copper coinage already in circulation. The old José-era quarter macutas were struck with a crowned shield punch, doubling their official tariff to the half macuta denomination. This was a fiscal expedient — not a recoining — driven by chronic copper shortages and the administrative difficulty of supplying fresh colonial currency from Lisbon at any reliable pace.

Two principal countermark varieties exist, distinguished by the crowned shield punch size and placement, with KM#49.1 denoting the more commonly encountered application.