Help with counterstamps on a 1795 Half dollar

MisterTicToc

I have had this coin for almost a year and have not had any success positively identifying the counterstamps that were used on the both the obverse and reverse of the coin. There appears to be two separate stamps that were used...one looks like a waffel pattern and the other a sun (for lack of a better description). It was suggested that this may be a Trinidad/Tobago set of stamps. Any additional insight would be appreciated.

robkool

You may want to contact fellow board member "savoryspecial" aka Greg for help... He seems to know alot about counterstamp coins...
Hope this helps...

commoncents123

is that actually a counterstamp or something else?

pcgs69

Bye bye Mrs. Overton 126.

savoyspecial

thanks for sharing this.....two different stamps that i'm seeing on both the obverse and the reverse are 1) a lattice pattern and 2) a sunburnst stamp.....i have seen both of these stamps (or quite similar) on other coins, some images to follow

to say that i'm unsure what these would symbolize would be accurate.....also, it cannot be ruled out that they may not represent anything.......they obviously dont serve a purpose as merchant advertisment.....instead, one theory could be that they were a mark of fineness and could be easily recognized if subsequently encountered through commerce by the mark's creator

another theory is that the marks themselves are merely ornamental.....two centuries later we will never know for sure but speculation is human nature

it's interesting to note that i encounter the lattice pattern on many Spanish 2 Reales and other hispania minors that circulated in the U.S. up till the mid 19th century......i'm not for a minute saying this stamp is foreign in it's origin......as i mentioned, these coins did circulate in the U.S. and i feel that both stamps on the OP's coin are domestic

since any 1795 half dollar is a wildly collectible type coin to many collectors, i think this is a piece that would be received better were it counterstamp-free (even if less interesting to myself)


here is a dime i have with a "lattice" design:





and here is a similar sunburst design (notice a difference in the length of rays between the two pieces):





again, thanks for posting such an interesting piece

lordmarcovan

I've seen the lattice before (maybe in the Krause listings for Trinidad & Tobago, as mentioned in the OP).

I've seen sunbursts, too, but not on the same coin as the lattice stamp.

Very interesting piece.

Obviously I don't have anything intelligent to add now that Savoy has seen it.

lasvegasteddy

the lattice looks like vice jaw imprints

JRocco

Determined by a few CBH guys to be just plain damage

savoyspecial

interesting that you mention Tobago......try as i might i could not find a photo reference that matched (the lattice) in Rulau's Latin American Token guide......i believe St. Lucia used some similar brand of mark in a repeating dot pattern but can find a photo at this time......like i said earlier, i have seen this on a LOT of 18th and 19th century U.S. and Spanish coinage

PerryHall

<< <i>
Determined by a few CBH guys to be just plain damage >>



Isn't there a hammer with this pattern on the hammer's face? Not sure what this hammer is used for---possibly for tenderizing meat.

jdillane

<< <i>
Determined by a few CBH guys to be just plain damage >>



Still kinda cool esp if you have this variety undamaged as well.

JRocco

<< <i>Still kinda cool esp if you have this variety undamaged as well. >>



I do
Here is the reverse of this coin by the way, a nice single leaf example
and one of the more clear examples of the single leaf (even better defined than my undamaged example).

MisterTicToc

Thanks to all for your input...Greg, thanks for sharing your knowledge in this area.
Happy New Year to all!