Trinidad and Tobago (1811) shilling
This specimen was lot 40408 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2023), where it sold for $3,120. The catalog description[1] noted, "TRINIDAD & TOBAGO. Bitt (Shilling), ND (1811). George III. PCGS GOOD-04. Approved by local council meeting of 17 June 1811. Countermark: T incuse. Applied to the central cut plug of a Spanish Colonial bust 8 Reales of uncertain origin." The islands of Trinidad and Tobago, originally invaded and occupied by the Spanish, were wrested from Spanish control by the British in 1797. The two islands were merged as a single entity in 1888. It remained a colony of Great Britain until achieving independence in 1976. Up until independence, no coins were struck locally. The coin type shown was authorized by the government in 1811, being the punched out center of a Spanish colonial eight reales, seen here.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 2.98 g, silver, this specimen 2.86 g.
Catalog reference: KM-A10; Prid-4.
- Byrne, Ray, Coins and Tokens of the Caribees, Decatur, IL: Jess Peters, Inc., 1975.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The January 2023 NYINC Auction: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, featuring the Taraszka Collection and the Mark and Dottie Salton Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.
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