St. Vincent and the Grenadines (1797) 1/4 dollar
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines were visited by Columbus in 1498, but were not colonized until the British took possession in the early 18th century. The island group attained independence in 1979, but remains a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations. From the 1950's, Saint Vincent has used the same currency as the other eastern island members of the British Caribbean Territories.
The example shown is a cut and countermarked Spanish colonial 8 reales of Charles III. The countermark is not dated, but this type was emplaced in about 1797. It was lot 1844 and sold on May 5, 2010 at Baldwin's Auction 65 for GBP 560. The catalog description reads: "A Collection Of West Indian Coins, Tokens & Checks. Saint Vincent. ¼-Dollar, (1797), cut quarter-segment of a Spanish Dollar of Charles III, obv countermarked with three “SV” monograms within plain rectangular indent with bevelled corners, (Pr 4). Host coin fair, countermark about very fine and rare. £300-400."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specifications: silver, this specimen 6.57 g.
Catalog reference: KM 3.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- Byrne, Ray, Coins and Tokens of the Caribees, Decatur, IL: Jess Peters, Inc., 1975.
- Pridmore, F., The Coins of the British Commonwealth of Nations to the end of the Reign of George VI 1952: Part 3, Bermuda, British Guiana, British Honduras and the British West Indies, London: Spink & Son, 1965.
Links to:
- British West Indies (1799-1803) 66 shillings plugged and countermarked Brazil 6400 réis
- St. Vincent (1811-14) 12 bits, cut from a Peru 8 reales
- St. Vincent (1814-18) 4-1/2 bits, c/s on a Peru 1807 2 reales
- Coins and currency dated 1797
- coins of East Caribbean States