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4 Shillings 11/2 Pence Type III countermark
| Issuer | Colonial Government of Tortola |
|---|---|
| Year | 1805-1824 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The reverse presents the upper half of the Spanish colonial 8 Reales host coin, likewise cut into a half-circle with a prominent milled border along the curved edge. The partial legend · HISPAN · ET · IN · is visible along the upper arc, being a fragment of the original inscription denoting the King of Spain and the Indies. The central field retains remnants of the crowned arms of Castile and León, the principal design element of the milled Spanish colonial coinage, partially obscured by wear. A rectangular incuse countermark, consistent with the Tortola authorization mark, is applied across the lower central field. The overall surfaces exhibit wear and adjustment consistent with the coin's use as emergency colonial currency. |
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| Additional information |
Tortola's countermarked coinage was a direct response to a chronic shortage of specie across the British Virgin Islands, where full-weight British sterling almost never circulated — it was hoarded or remitted to England the moment it arrived. The colonial administration solved the problem by countermarking Spanish colonial eight-reales pieces, cutting their legal tender value below melt to keep them in local circulation. The Type III designation distinguishes this issue from earlier countermark applications on the same host coins, reflecting successive revaluations as silver prices and exchange rates shifted across the nearly two-decade production window.
Host coins vary considerably — most are Mexican or Potosí eight-reales of the pillar or portrait type.