When where the George III counterstamped 8 reale and other dollar size coins issued?

BillJones

The Bank of England issued these emergency pieces during the Napoleonic Wars. In know that they started in 1797 after the Battle of Fishkill when the French invaded Wales from the west. I have read that these pieces with the small punch were issued either quite a while (passed 1804) or for only a few years. Which is it?

These pieces with the larger punch were issued later, some say 1804.

And 1804 the Bank issued these dollars which were struck over the 8 reale coins.

Does anyone have any information as to when these items were issued? Thanks in advance to anyone who knows a bit more about these pieces.

1960NYGiants

According to the British and Australia museums websites, the oval mark was done in 1797 and the octagon mark in 1804.

BillJones

@1960NYGiants said:
According to the British and Australia museums websites, the oval mark was done in 1797 and the octagon mark in 1804.

Thanks!

Were all of the ovals done in 1797 and all of the octagonal pieces done in 1804, or did they extend beyond those dates?

1960NYGiants

The museum write ups did not offer such details.

John Conduitt

The authorisations from the Treasury were for 1797 and 1804, and I don’t think they would’ve countermarked them outside of 1797 and 1804.

• There was an unused authorisation in 1799, so presumably these only lasted a short time (possibly because of the fluctuating price of silver). The countermarks were an emergency measure after all.

• They countermarked the Bank of England’s stockpile very quickly, and wouldn’t have needed to keep going. They also converted any 1797 dollars to bullion in 1799, which they wouldn’t have done if they were still making them.

• There was a high level of counterfeiting. They recalled the 1797 issues because of it (the octagonal stamp, being larger, was meant to make forgeries easier to discern) and Boulton’s overstrike was meant to be a more secure solution in 1804.

It’s possible that some coins were stamped later either by forgers or by local assay offices, who had the same punch for stamping silver and collecting taxes. The fractionals of dollars may have been countermarked that way too (apart from the half dollars countermarked in 1799 and never released in Britain).

TwoKopeiki

Check out this article posted on British Numismatic Society's website: THE BANK OF ENGLAND COUNTERMARKED DOLLARS, 1797-1804

John Conduitt

I would also note that Boulton’s overstruck dollar was in production from 1804 to 1811, even though they are all dated 1804.

Sapyx

They were just done in those two years. There were plans for another series of countermarked dollars in 1799, but they were never created; half-dollars were created in 1799 but never officially issued.

You might find this article from the British Numismatic Society Journal of interest.