Curacao (1814) 3 reaal
This specimen was lot 8629 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2022), where it sold for $432. The catalog description[1] noted, "CURACAO. 3 Reaals (18 Stivers or Guillotine), ND (1814). NGC FAIR-2; Countermark: VF Standard. Issued by local ordinance of 30 August 1814. Five petalled rosace within circular indent. Applied to the reverse of a cut 1/5 a Spanish Colonial portrait 8 Reales, probably of Charles IV(IIII). The countermark is bold and clear with evidence of severe degradation and being reworked on a well-worn host displaying attractive rich mottled gray patina. As a one-fifth cut of an eight Reales, if mutilated into exact equal parts the individual segments would weigh 5.4 g but are usually less, an apparent bit of petty fraud." The stuiver, a Dutch denomination, traded at six for a real or 48 to the peso before 1801. After 1801, during the British occupation, the stuiver was lowered to 72 to the peso. Curaçao, like many islands in the Caribbean, suffered from a chronic shortage of coin as absentee planters pulled profits out of the islands. In 1838, Dutch gulden of William II were cut into quarters to serve as small change.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, this specimen 4.64 g.
Catalog reference: KM-13; Prid-1.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Byrne, Ray, Coins and Tokens of the Caribees, Decatur, IL: Jess Peters, Inc., 1975.
- Passon, Tom, Catalogus van de Munten van de Nederlandse Gebieden Overzee, vanaf 1601 tot heden, Apeldoorn, Netherlands, 2022.
- Scholten, C., The Coins of the Dutch Overseas Territories, 1601-1948, Amsterdam: Jacques Schulman, 1953.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The 2022 NYINC Sale: World and Ancient Coins, featuring the Mark and Lottie Salton Collection and the Pat Johnson Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2021.
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