Tortola (1801) 4 shillings 1-1/2 pence
The British Virgin Islands have been held by the British since 1666. Tortola is the largest of the islands. Under the Leeward Islands administration, Spanish colonial coins were cut and countermarked for use in the colony. Under the Act of Feb. 3, 1801, modification of Spanish colonial coins began. An eight reales was equivalent to nine shillings, and various divisions of the original coins resulted in fractional proportions of 9 shillings[1].
This example was lot 1327 in Ponterio sale 158 (New York, January 2011), where it sold for $708. The catalog description[2] read:
"TORTOLA. 4 Shillings 1 1/2 Pence (1/2 Dollar), ND (1801). Local Act of 3 Febuary 1801. Type I countermark on a cut half of a Spanish Colonial 8 Reales of Charles IV. Host coin FINE, countermark. VERY FINE."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 0.903 fine silver.
Catalog reference: KM-7; Prid-1.
- 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.
- [2]Ponterio, Richard, and Kent Ponterio, Ponterio sale 158: The 2011 N.Y.I.N.C. Auction, Irvine: Bowers and Merena, 2010.
Link to: