Merchant countermarked Charles IIII Half Reale!

[Donnie B from VA]

Got out yesterday with my buddy, Danny, and hit a couple of colonial and early 1800's sites. The first site was very remote, small, and probably not inhabited very long. Unfortunately, whoever lived there in the 1700's was probably dirt poor and left us no coins or buttons. He left nothing at all except for iron.

The next site turned out to be much better. We visited a site that no doubt has been hit by countless detectors over the years. We had already been detecting for six hours and I hadn't found anything at all. Danny had done better and had a few goodies to show for the day. He had also found a barn or perhaps a second cellar hole nearby. I ventured over to the "new" hole. Boom! I got my very first Spanish Silver! Not only that it is also countermarked!

 

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[RVRoamer74]

Wow! That sure is a sweet Silver. You ended up with a long day but you definitely scored a super keeper. Congrats all over that one.

 

[montcalm]

Spanish silver that's a winner. Cong.

 

[Digger RJ]

Very Nice!!! Congrats!!!

 

[Blak bart]

That is cool !! Banner !!

 

[Steve in PA]

Congrats on your first Spanish. A 180-something half real that saw a lot of hands before it was lost. Probably was in circulation a good 50 years or more.

I will go out on a limb and predict that the next Spanish you find will have a lot more detail and it will not be counter stamped

 

[blugotti1]

sweet find!!

 

[Donnie B from VA]

Congrats on your first Spanish. A 180-something half real that saw a lot of hands before it was lost. Probably was in circulation a good 50 years or more.

I will go out on a limb and predict that the next Spanish you find will have a lot more detail and it will not be counter stamped

Thanks! I agree that the coin was in circulation for decades before being lost. I even think the counterstamp was probably applied to it after it was already extremely worn in circulation (maybe by a silversmith to denote good silver?). At this point, I know that the "countermark" is listed as in Brunk. The book is very expensive now and I'm hoping that one of my coin collector buddies may have the book. I would love to know why Brunk lists the countermark as a merchant.

I'm over the moon with my first Spanish silver and the fact that it is counterstamped is the icing on the cake. You are correct. I bet my next one will have better details and won't be counterstamped but I won't complain!

 

[toasted]

Wow. You found a tree coin before a Spanish silver. Pretty incredible

 

[Donnie B from VA]

Wow. You found a tree coin before a Spanish silver. Pretty incredible

I agree. Metal detecting is such a strange hobby sometimes. I have been detecting for almost 24 years. There are so many things that I have yet to find including a Trime, Three Cent nickel, Flying Eagle Cent, Capped Bust anything, and more. No doubt part of that is because of the sites I dug over the years had little opportunity to find those coins. I spent 10 years in 1880's - 1920's coal camps digging tokens. The next 11 years were in Civil War sites. I have only been digging colonial for three years and I am hooked.

 

[A2coins]

Banner dang that's a great piece good job

 

[xcopperstax]

Congrats that is a great find and the fact that it is stamped makes it ever better! Stamped Spanish silver doesn't seem to common. Very cool!

 

[Tnmountains]

Super find. I am sure that coin traveled a lot of miles.

 

[smallfoot]

Congrats! Excellent find!

 

[Trezurehunter]

Congrats on your first Spanish silver. The fact that it's counter stamped makes it even that much nicer.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Congrats on the nice find!

 

[washingtonian]

Even though some people would say the coin is "damaged" I think it adds a super cool, personal touch. Way to go!

 

[Donnie B from VA]

Even though some people would say the coin is "damaged" I think it adds a super cool, personal touch. Way to go!

Yeah, I understand some collectors look at counterstamped coins as damaged while others actually collect counterstamps. I spoke to one coin collector who, at one time, had over 3500 counterstamped coins in his collection. I'm very happy that my first Spanish Silver is counterstamped. I don't think very many are found with counterstamps and that is really cool to me. I bet my next one will not be counterstamped.

 

[Steve in PA]

Yeah, I understand some collectors look at counterstamped coins as damaged while others actually collect counterstamps. I spoke to one coin collector who, at one time, had over 3500 counterstamped coins in his collection. I'm very happy that my first Spanish Silver is counterstamped. I don't think very many are found with counterstamps and that is really cool to me. I bet my next one will not be counterstamped.

I have found 69 Spanish silvers, both cut and whole, and none of them are counter stamped, although three of the half reals were made into cuff links and one still has the silver shank.

 

[Calabash Digger]

feeling hurter! congrats!