Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
Tostão - Pedro V Countermark 'Small Crown' over LXXX, Portugal
| Issuer | São Tomé and Príncipe |
|---|---|
| Year | 1854 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 3.46 g |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse of the host coin features a bold Latin cross at center, with the letters P–P in the upper two quadrants and P–P in the lower two quadrants, forming a monogram of Pedro II. The surrounding legend reads IN HOC SIGNO VINCIS (In this sign thou shalt conquer), a traditional Iberian royal motto, enclosed within a beaded border. The field shows the characteristic wear and toning associated with extended circulation prior to countermarking. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (1854) - Over coins from João Regent - ND (1854) - Over coins from João V - ND (1854) - Over coins from João VI - ND (1854) - Over coins from José I - ND (1854) - Over coins from Maria I - ND (1854) - Over coins from Maria I & Pedro III - ND (1854) - Over coins from Pedro II - |
| Additional information |
São Tomé and Príncipe suffered chronic coin shortages throughout the nineteenth century, and the Portuguese colonial administration addressed this pragmatically by countermarking metropolitan coinage rather than striking purpose-made colonial issues. The small crown punch applied to Pedro V tostão pieces in 1854 formally validated these coins for local circulation at a specific revalued tariff — the countermark wasn't decorative but legally necessary, distinguishing authorized colonial currency from unregulated specie.
The Gomes P5 18 reference places this among a documented series of such countermarked types, though survival rates vary considerably by host coin condition at the time of punching.