UPDATE: 1789 Counterstamped Half Reale ... Rare IV over III!!!

[West Jersey Detecting]

UPDATE: SEE IRON PATCHES REPLY BELOW SHOWING THE PAGE FROM THE KRAUSE'S GUIDE!!!


The temps were supposed to approach 90 today, but I was seeing overcast skies out my window. After torrential downpours over the last two days, I thought the wet conditions would make it a good day to get out and detect; at least until it got too unbearably hot.

So I got my equipment together and got my Dunkin Donuts coffe and headed to my favorite site. I said to myself "today is the day I am going to find Spanish Silver." No lie. I really did. I could just feel it.

I worked areas that I have already worked and dug a few deep buttons. Then I got a very low whisper. I pinpointed and got a depth of 9 inches on my display, but no VDI or tone. I scrubbed the ground with the coil and got a little chirp. Usually this turns out to be deep iron, but I don't take chances at this site. I dug a nice sized plug and it was still in the hole. I was able to get a strong signal with my Garrett Pro Pointer, so I knew I could safely dig a deeper plug under the target with my Lesche.

Once I got it out, it gave the nice high VDI of a coin. I could not make out much, but I saw enough detail to guess what I had found.



The "NG" mint mark is from the Nueva Guatemala mint. It is my understanding that Half Reales are scarce from this mint. And the HS Counterstamp makes this even more special.



UPDATE: As I was looking closely at my find, I noticed a die variation. The IV appears to be stamped over III. SEE IRON PATCHES REPLY BELOW SHOWING THE PAGE FROM THE KRAUSE'S GUIDE!!!

 

[{Sentinel}]

Re: 1789 Half Reale ... Counterstamped!

Very Nice Counterstamped Carolus Neil!!! It's been a couple months since my last Spanish and I'm starting to get antzy! Thanks for posting that beauty

 

[Trond]

Re: 1789 Half Reale ... Counterstamped!

Great find

 

[dwayne sueno]

Re: 1789 Half Reale ... Counterstamped!

beautiful silver, Neil!
great counterstamp- hope you can trace those initials.

dwayne

 

[West Jersey Detecting]

Re: 1789 Half Reale ... Counterstamped!

Very cool find. Way better than your average dug real.

Here's the closest my book comes. Unfortunately there is no picture, and does not mention about the stamp being in a rectangle, so I'm not sure if it's the same one.

Thanks for your research. I did find some info on some HS counterstamps but none seem to match the time period

Nice find!

I thought you were done detecting for the season.

Good thing you weren't!!

I got the itch and needed to scratch it!

 

[CMDiamonddawg]

Re: 1789 Half Reale ... Counterstamped!

Finding spanish silver seems like a great method to scratch an itch . I like the counterstamp over Charlie III ' s mouth . I have been trying to figure out how his nose didn't get stamped ..he has a big honker ! Great find , Neil

 

[West Jersey Detecting]

Re: 1789 Half Reale ... Counterstamped!

Nice find Neil, that's the first time I've seen that mintmark.

From what I am reading online, you are not likely to see that mint mark on a half reale. The larger denominations are very common, but the half reale is very scarce. Add the counterstamp and it is a real gem!

 

[pepperj]

Re: 1789 Half Reale ... Counterstamped!

Really a cool looking Reale, one fine keeper you have there.

 

[chark21798]

Re: 1789 Half Reale ... Counterstamped!

That is awesome find Neil. I too like the counterstamp. Congrats sounds like a great site. HH mark

 

[Mackaydon]

Re: 1789 Half Reale ... Counterstamped!

Since the coin has been 'personalized' with a hole, the counterstamp could have been the mark of the sender or the initials of the receiver.

 

[Iron Patch]

Re: 1789 Half Reale ... Counterstamped!

Since the coin has been 'personalized' with a hole, the counterstamp could have been the mark of the sender or the initials of the receiver.

I think that's very unlikely, but I do think there's a slight possibility they could be connected. The stamp is either a private countermark, or for government revaluation, and the hole could be how this was nullified at a later time.

My gut says private mark, no connection.

A 2nd theory could be it was picked to be stamped because of the hole, sort or like the French did with low grade Douzains in the mid. to late 17th century. (The ones they stamped and restruck for the Colonies)

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Re: 1789 Half Reale ... Counterstamped!

That's funny.
I have done the same thing .
I tell myself, "ok, today I am finding x_____". Sometimes I do!
Great find Neil

 

[Mackaydon]

Re: 1789 Half Reale ... Counterstamped!

How the hole appears to have been 'worked' suggests to me a private versus government process.

 

[HISPAN]

Re: 1789 Half Reale ... Counterstamped!

good a Reseller Reale

 

[West Jersey Detecting]

Re: 1789 Half Reale ... Counterstamped!

How the hole appears to have been 'worked' suggests to me a private versus government process.

I have to agree with you there!

Here is a link to the 1R found at the site a few months back. I do not see any similarity in the holes. That may have proved that it was done by the local land owner.

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=327213.0;attach=499459;image

 

[The Seeker]

Re: 1789 Half Reale ... Counterstamped!

Thats a little different ......Nice find!

 

[Brian(upstateNY-Central Fla.)]

Re: 1789 Half Reale ... Counterstamped!

Nice silver Neil and congrats

 

[Iron Patch]

Re: 1789 Half Reale ... Counterstamped!

That's funny.
I have done the same thing .
I tell myself, "ok, today I am finding x_____". Sometimes I do!
Great find Neil

I did it the day I found my plain belt plate, but I probably said that 20 times in 10 years so not sure if that really counts. But there was another time I was visiting some friends and told them what button I was going to find. They walked me into their little little patch.... then left, and I started ripping the place apart. I was hunting in "beat mode" so about 2/3 - 3/4 of my signals weren't really signals, just noise, but within a half hour or so I had dug quite a few non iron targets they had missed including the button I said I was going to find.

Other than those two times, there's nothing else that comes to mind for predicting finds.

 

[West Jersey Detecting]

Re: 1789 Half Reale ... Counterstamped!

That's funny.
I have done the same thing .
I tell myself, "ok, today I am finding x_____". Sometimes I do!
Great find Neil

I did it the day I found my plain belt plate, but I probably said that 20 times in 10 years so not sure if that really counts. But there was another time I was visiting some friends and told them what button I was going to find. They walked me into their little little patch.... then left, and I started ripping the place apart. I was hunting in "beat mode" so about 2/3 - 3/4 of my signals weren't really signals, just noise, but within a half hour or so I had dug quite a few non iron targets they had missed including the button I said I was going to find.

Other than those two times, there's nothing else that comes to mind for predicting finds.

That may be a good topic for one of your posts "What is your best "I called it" Find?

 

[N.J.THer]

Re: 1789 Half Reale ... Counterstamped!

That's funny.
I have done the same thing .
I tell myself, "ok, today I am finding x_____". Sometimes I do!
Great find Neil

I did it the day I found my plain belt plate, but I probably said that 20 times in 10 years so not sure if that really counts. But there was another time I was visiting some friends and told them what button I was going to find. They walked me into their little little patch.... then left, and I started ripping the place apart. I was hunting in "beat mode" so about 2/3 - 3/4 of my signals weren't really signals, just noise, but within a half hour or so I had dug quite a few non iron targets they had missed including the button I said I was going to find.

Other than those two times, there's nothing else that comes to mind for predicting finds.

That may be a good topic for one of your posts "What is your best "I called it" Find?

Do wives count??

 

[Mackaydon]

Re: 1789 Half Reale ... Counterstamped!

At first I thought there was a die variation ('IV' over 'IIII'), but then I read that the visage of the 'IIII' first appeared in 1790, ergo.......with this coin dated 1789, and unless there was an exception, I'm at a loss to understand what appears as (at least) another "I" partially hidden behind the "V".
Source: http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...+NG+mint+IV+over+III&cd=7&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
Don.....