Philippines 1830 c/s 8 reales KM-35
The first coin was lot 9495 in Ponterio sale 150 (Los Angeles, August 2009), where it sold for $34,500. The catalog description[1] noted,
"PHILIPPINES. 8 Reales, 1830. Well struck for issue with much of legend 'HABILITADO POR EL REY N.S.D. FERN. VII.' visible. Type IV, 1830 Manila countermark on a Peru Cuzco Mint 8 Reales 1826-GM. VERY RARE as a date with an estimated 20-25 examples known (some of which are in institutions), the key to the Philippine countermark series. Believed to be UNIQUE having a Cuzco Mint 8 Reales as a host coin. Well struck with the central countermark elements all visible. Lightly toned VERY FINE."
The second specimen was lot 42636 in Stack's Bowers Summer 2026 Global Showcase Auction (Pittsburgh, September 2026), where it sold for $91,500. The catalog description[2] noted,
"Incredibly Rare and Probably Unique Manila 1830 Overstrike on Argentine Host, PHILIPPINES. Philippines - Argentina. 8 Reales, 1830. Manila Mint. Ferdinand VII. PCGS VF-20. Issued by decree of 7 January 1832, ending 15 days later. Type III Manila Overstrike, with serrated borders and reverse legend; dies prepared by Don Benito de los Reyes. Overstruck on an 1815-PTS FL Argentina 8 Soles (KM-15). This exceptional rarity displays attractive mottled gray patina with areas of luster in the denticles of the obverse. Moderately worn with the typical uneven strike, probably near the end to the machinery's usefulness, but with about 3/4 of the arms of Spain and partial legends clear. Due to the strike weakness, the central design features of the obverse are quite faint with no visible evidence of the date. A wholesome looking piece offering a pleasing appearance, even wear and plenty of the original host design easily identifiable such as the date, assayer's letters and denomination. One of the KEYS to the series with an elevated status being overstruck on an extremely rare host type and as such is probably UNIQUE.
Seldom encountered as a type, the Manila 1830 Overstrike issues are highly coveted by collectors and are always heavily sought after. To acquire an example of an 1830 is no small feat, but to obtain an example of this issue combined with a rare and popular host may not occur again for many years or even decades. Deep consideration and contemplation should be given by the serious collector for the opportunity secure such an elite piece.
We have recorded only three other examples of Manila Overstrikes, all appear to be 1828, struck over an Argentine host, all happen to be 1815-PTS FL. One is permanently impounded in an undisclosed museum in Madrid, Die # 2. One is contained in a highly advanced private collection in the Philippines, now graded and certified PCGS VF-20, Die # 1. The third example, Ex: Superior Galleries (6/1979) and plated in the PNAS Monograph # 21, is a bit more complex and features an additional F.7.o countermark that makes identification of the Manila Overstrike difficult from the black and white images. This makes the present piece not only a new discovery, but also UNIQUE (due to being an 1830 rather than an 1828).
Identification of the various Manila dies may seem like a daunting task, but is quite simple if the die characteristics are known. For the 1828, there are two distinctly different die pairs with no muling and for the 1830 only one die pair. The easiest diagnostic feature to delineate between an 1828 and 1830 is on the reverse in the lower left quadrant of the crowned arms of Spain. For the 1830, the back leg of the lion appears to push the bar between the lion's foot and the arms of Granada, making it curved. Whereas on either 1828 reverse die, that same bar is perfectly straight with additional space between the lion's foot and the bar. There are other features that can be used for attribution of any of the three die pairs, each just as important as the characteristic above, but are generally not needed to differentiate between the two dates.
On 30 May 1829, the authorities closed the countermarking office because of these frequent breakdowns and began looking for an alternative. It was recommended that a new stamping press made of tempered steel be ordered from Calcutta or Batavia. After learning that the authorities were looking to purchase a new press, Jose Campana wrote to them on 18 September 1829, offering to sell a similar press that was purchased from Bengal, India for the amount of 5,500 pesos. Before the purchase of this new press could be consummated, Campana had agreed to install and test the new machinery by re-stamping no less than 1,000 pesos worth of coins. On 29 January 1830, Campana informed the authorities that the new Bengal press was stored in the warehouse of Don Andreas Camba and ready for testing, but had no dies. He requested that the old dies be modified for the new machine, or a new set of dies be produced. Since the old dies could not be modified to fit the new machine, approval was given 9 March 1830 to Benito de los Reyes for the production of new dies. Finally on 28 May 1830, testing of the new press took place, but only 400-500 pesos were re-stamped. After inspection and reports of the output production of the new press were given to the authorities, on 29 November 1830 Campana received a counteroffer of 4,000 pesos. He accepted the offer on 20 December 1830. On 4 February 1831, the new press had arrived from Calcutta and was to be installed on a solid base in the same area as the previous press. Installation of the new press began 3 March 1831, but it wasn't until the reply to the decree of January 7, 1832 on January 16 that approval and re-stamping began. Since the coins were no longer being heated, softened and flattened with a hammer prior to being overstruck, the hardness of the coins effaced the new dies easily and caused the new press to break down within 15 days of operation."
The type is known for 1830 only and SCWC lists all the known undertypes as rare. The authorities in Manila found this counterstamp time-consuming to apply and switched to a simple "F.7o" stamp in 1832. The SCWC[3] notes, "Countermarking of foreign coins was halted in Manila by the edict of March 31, 1837 after Spain had recognized the independence of Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Chile and other former colonies in Central and South America."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 27.07 g, 0.903 fine silver.
Catalog reference: Cayón-16104, KM-unlisted host coin (35/37 for type); Basso-54 (39) for type. The second specimen KM-Unlisted; Basso-54; PNM#6-Unlisted; PNM#16-Unlisted; PNM#21-Unlisted.
- [3]Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Basso, Aldo P., Coins, Medals and Tokens of the Philippines, Menlo Park, CA: 1968.
- Ganzon de Legarda, Angelita, Piloncitos to Pesos, A Brief History of Coinage in the Philippines, Manila: Bancom Development Corporation, 1976.
- Cayón, Adolfo, Clemente Cayón and Juan Cayón, Las Monedas Españolas, del Tremis al Euro: del 411 a Nuestros Dias, 2 volumes, Madrid: Cayón-Jano S.L., 2005.
- Calicó, Xavier, Numismática Española: Catálogo General con Precios de Todas las Monedas Españolas Acuñadas desde Los Reyes Católicos Hasta Felipe VI, 1474 a 2020, Barcelona: Aureo & Calicó, 2019.
- [1]Ponterio, Richard, and Kent Ponterio, Ponterio sale 150: The 2009 Los Angeles ANA Auction, Irvine, CA: Bowers and Merena, 2009.
- [2]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, Summer 2026 Global Showcase Auction, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2026.
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