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1 Pataca 'Christo Cross' countermark
| Issuer | Portuguese Timor (1910-2002) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1900 |
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| Value | 1 Pataca |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Phrygian liberty cap set upon radiating straight and wavy rays filling the field, with the word LIBERTAD inscribed on a band across the cap. A small rectangular 'Christo Cross' countermark is applied at the apex of the rays near the upper rim. The circular legend around the periphery reads the mint initial, denomination, date, assayer initials, and fineness designation. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The "Christo Cross" countermark was applied to full-weight Maria Theresa Thalers and other large silver trade coins circulating in Portuguese Timor around 1900, a colonial administration solution to chronic coinage shortages on an island the Lisbon government chronically underfunded. Rather than ship struck coinage from Lisbon or Macau, local authorities simply authenticated existing foreign silver by punching it. The countermark itself — a cross associated with the Order of Christ, the body through which Portugal administered much of its early colonial enterprise — gave the pieces official sanction without the expense of a mint.
The host coin matters considerably to specialists. Thalers are most frequently encountered, but examples on Spanish colonial 8 reales and various other trade dollars exist, each commanding different collector premiums.