Guadeloupe (1811) 40 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 forty sous, made by applying a crowned 'G' counterstamp to the obverse of a French fifth écu dated 1749. This example was lot 1827 at the Baldwin’s Auction 65 by Baldwin's Auctions and sold on May 5, 2010 for GBP 320. the catalog description reads:
"A Collection Of West Indian Coins, Tokens & Checks. Guadeloupe. 40-Sous, French 1/5-Ecu of 1749, Paris, obv countermarked with a crude crowned “6” within oblong indent, from the same punch as Pridmore lot 402, a contemporary forgery, 5.56g (Pr 4) Host coin fine or better, the countermark very fine and rare. £150-200."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver.
Catalog reference: KM 20.
- 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.
Link to:
- (1811) 20 Sous
- (1811) 9 livres
- Coins and currency dated 1811
- return to coins of Guadeloupe