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8 Reales Type II Counter-mark
| Issuer | Guatemala |
|---|---|
| Year | 1839 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 8 Reales |
| 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 |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Cob-struck silver planchet of irregular flan displaying the characteristic cross design of Spanish colonial coinage, with each quadrant bearing partial castle and lion devices in the traditional macuquina style. A small circular Guatemalan Type II countermark — depicting a sunburst or rosette motif — is applied to the upper right quadrant of the cross, serving as the authentication or revalidation stamp. The flan exhibits the typical rough, uneven edges of hammered cob coinage, and a suspension hole has been drilled at the top, indicating later use as a piece of jewelry or pendant. The overall strike is moderately sharp on the cross device, with the surrounding fields worn smooth. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Irregular cob flan displaying the reverse design of a Spanish colonial 8 Reales macuquina, with a partially visible date reading 1791 in the lower field and the denomination numeral '8' struck above the horizontal dividing bar. The crowned pillars of Hercules device, flanking a central globus motif, appears in the right field, partially legible due to the characteristic off-center strike of hammered cob coinage. Mintmark and assayer initials are partially visible to the right of the pillars. The planchet edges are irregular and flan-clipped in the cob tradition, and a suspension hole is present at the lower margin. |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Guatemala's provisional countermark program of 1839 addressed a practical crisis: the new republic lacked the infrastructure to mint its own full coinage while foreign and colonial 8 reales continued to circulate in uncertain legal standing. Approved hosts were punched and returned to commerce as domestically validated currency. The Type II punch replaced an earlier design after the first countermark proved too easily forged.
Most authenticated examples are found on Mexican or Central American Mint milled coinage from the late colonial period. The host coin's origin matters — some combinations are significantly scarcer than others.