British Honduras (1817-21) 6 shillings 1 penny KM-2
The first specimen was lot 29445 in Heritage sale 3042 (Long Beach, September 2015), where it sold for $881.25. The catalog description[1] noted, "British Colony - George III Countermarked 6 Shilling 1 Penny ND (1817-21) XF40 PCGS. Although this particular countermark punch was dubbed a "modern imitation" of the Pridmore-2 style by the cataloguer of the Pridmore collection (Glendining's 9/1981, lot 157), it has since been accepted as a legitimate issue. As mentioned in one of our previous sales (see Heritage Auctions 4/2015, lot 29443) this particular style can be assigned to ca. 1821 since also known over a Zacatecas 8 Reales of that date (Baldwin's 9/2011, lot 1873). An attractive representative of this scarce countermarked West Indies dollar." The second specimen was lot 1872 in Stephen Album sale 38 (Santa Rosa, CA, September 2020), where it sold for $1,309. The catalog description[2] noted, "BRITISH HONDURAS: George III, 1760-1820, AR 6 shilling 1 penny, ND (1810-8), incuse crowned script GR countermark on 1809-MoTH Mexico 8 reales (KM-110), minor tooling in the field only, bold countermark, PCGS graded VF details, R, ex Renaissance Auction 12/06/2000, Lot 945 (part); ex H. Christensen Auction 4/07/1978, Lot 21. This countermark was applied to assure local acceptance. Contemporary authenticity of this issue has been confirmed by examples that have been overstruck by Brazilian 960 reis." The third specimen was lot 21351 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2023), where it sold for $780. The catalog description[3] noted,
"BRITISH HONDURAS. British Honduras - Mexico. Dollar (6 Shillings 1 Penny), ND (1810-21). George III. PCGS EF-45. Countermark: Incuse crowned script GR. Applied to the obverse of a 1806-Mo TH Mexico bust 8 Reales of Charles IIII (IV) (KM-109). This nicely preserved survivor exhibits attractive rich gray patina with minor earthen deposits amongst the devices. Wholly original looking, this evenly worn example offers a pleasing appearance with remaining luster in the protected areas. The countermark is deeply impressed, though slightly uneven, with minor signs of degradation adding a bit of character. This countermark variety has long since been the topic of discussion on whether it is genuine or not, this is an open and closed case as far as this cataloger is concerned. This particular variety along with several others from this series have been discovered as host coins for Brazilian 960 Reis conclusively proving its contemporary nature."
The SCWC dates this to 1810-18 but the later period given above seems most plausible. This countermark is noted on a variety of Latin American pesos.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 27.07 g, 0.896 fine silver (host coin).
Catalog reference: the first specimen: KM 2, Prid-2; the second specimen: KM-4.1; the third specimen is KM-4.2; Prid-3; EL-BH3.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and David Michaels, Heritage World Coin Auction 3042, featuring the Read and Bob Bennett Collections, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2015.
- [2]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Norman Douglas Nicol, Auction 38, featuring the Dabestani Collection of Persian Coins, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2020.
- [3]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The January 2023 NYINC Auction: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, featuring the Taraszka Collection and the Mark and Dottie Salton Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.
Link to:
- host coin: Mexico 1817-Mo JJ 8 reales
- Coins and currency dated 1817
- return to coins of British Honduras