Guadeloupe (1811) 20 sous
The island of Guadeloupe was colonized by the French in 1635, but did not see sizable settlements until much later. For a time it was a dependency of Martinique. The French had been cutting and stamping coins for local use when the British took control in 1810-1816. The latter mandated several different types of coins, authorized in 1811, to be made from circulating English, French, and Spanish silver[1].
The coin type shown is a twenty sous, made by punching a square hole with serrated edges in a crown-sized host. The plug was then stamped with a G. This example was lot 24287 in Heritage sale 3014 (Chicago, April 2011), where it sold for $977. The catalog description reads,
"British Administration. 20 Sous or Livre (1811), VF35 NGC, radiant G on a cut portion of a colonial 8 Reales (presumably). Very bold and attractive with deep gray patina. Ex: Worldwide Coins Sale 94 and Pridmore sale, lot 400."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver.
Catalog reference: KM 19, Pr-3.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Byrne, Ray, Coins and Tokens of the Caribees, Decatur, IL: Jess Peters, Inc., 1975.
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