St. Thomas and Prince (1854) 400 reis
This specimen was lot 21086 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2020), where it sold for $9,000. The catalog description[1] noted, "SAINT THOMAS & PRINCE. St. Thomas & Prince Island - Portugal. 400 Reis, ND (1854). Pedro V. PCGS AU-58 Gold Shield; Countermark: Unc Details. Issued by decree of 3 November 1854. Portuguese crown countermark applied to the obverse of a 1771 Portugal 400 Reis of Jose I. An EXCEEDINGLY RARE countermarked colonial issue, unlisted in the major references that we are aware of and probably UNIQUE. The countermark is somewhat unevenly applied, but exhibits the same characteristics as the 2 Reales also in this sale. Gomes (2013 ed., pp. 633-5) lists hundreds of coins with this countermark, but none in gold, while the SCWC does not mention this countermark at all. In fact none of the reference material that we are aware of lists any gold for this issue. Of the greatest degree of interest and importance to the advanced collector of Portuguese and colonial issues, or to the student of countermarked pieces." Similar counterstamps were used in the Azores.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 1.07 g, 0.917 fine gold, .031 troy oz AGW, 15 mm diameter (host coin).
Catalog reference: KM-not listed; Gomes-not listed; Vaz-not listed; BES-not listed.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Sáez Salgado, Javier, Moedas de Ouro de Portugal, 1185-1889, Lisbon, Numisma Leiloes, 2001.
- Alberto Gomes and Francisco Antonio Magro, Moedas Portuguesas e do Território Que Hoje é Portugal: Catálogo das Moedas Cunhadas para o Continentes e Ilhas Adjacentes, para os Territórios do Ultramar e Grão-Mestres Portugueses da Ordem de Malta, 6ª Edição, Lisbon: Associação Numismática de Portugal, 2013.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Richard Ponterio and Kyle Ponterio, The January 2020 NYINC Sale: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2019.
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