Heritage World Coin Auctions
NYINC Signature Sale 3044 3-4 January 2016
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Costa Rica
Republic Type I countermark 4 Reales ND (1841) over United States 1/2 Dollar 1823 VG8 NGC, San Jose mint, KM-unl. Base coin, Very Good with all details still sharp, countermark Fine or thereabouts and double or triple struck. A U. S. Half Dollar 1823 pierced and countermarked with a radiant 6-pointed star in 7 mm circle per decree of November 22, 1841 under President Braulio Carrillo. This decree ordered the countermarking of all acceptable circulating silver coinage with the radiant 6-pointed star punch. Prior to the countermarking, a punch or test mark was applied on the coins to ensure their genuineness (located between "UNITED" and "STATES" on the reverse in the present example). The small removed silver plug was to pay for the cost of the operation and would also serve to maintain the thus pierced coins in local circulation (a concept already employed in the various holey dollar issues of the West Indies). Very rare as a general type (of Carrillo countermark over a half dollar sized coin), and extremely rare over a U. S. host, this date being unique: any U. S. coin with the Carrillo star countermark is a great rarity, with only five other such extant of different dates and spanning four denominations – the dollar, the half dollar, the dime and the half dime - known to the cataloguer. The present coin was not included in Murillo's fairly recent reference work (which on the other hand did note half dollars dated 1805 and 1822 – ex-Lines, lot 238 in H. Christensen's 5/1984 sale - with this countermark) and is hereby offered for the first time. It should naturally elicit strong interest as both a Costa Rican necessity issue and a U. S. countermarked coin.From the Pura Vida Collection, Part I
Estimate: 6000-8000 USD
Republic Type I countermark 4 Reales ND (1841) over United States 1/2 Dollar 1823 VG8 NGC, San Jose mint, KM-unl. Base coin, Very Good with all details still sharp, countermark Fine or thereabouts and double or triple struck. A U. S. Half Dollar 1823 pierced and countermarked with a radiant 6-pointed star in 7 mm circle per decree of November 22, 1841 under President Braulio Carrillo. This decree ordered the countermarking of all acceptable circulating silver coinage with the radiant 6-pointed star punch. Prior to the countermarking, a punch or test mark was applied on the coins to ensure their genuineness (located between "UNITED" and "STATES" on the reverse in the present example). The small removed silver plug was to pay for the cost of the operation and would also serve to maintain the thus pierced coins in local circulation (a concept already employed in the various holey dollar issues of the West Indies). Very rare as a general type (of Carrillo countermark over a half dollar sized coin), and extremely rare over a U. S. host, this date being unique: any U. S. coin with the Carrillo star countermark is a great rarity, with only five other such extant of different dates and spanning four denominations – the dollar, the half dollar, the dime and the half dime - known to the cataloguer. The present coin was not included in Murillo's fairly recent reference work (which on the other hand did note half dollars dated 1805 and 1822 – ex-Lines, lot 238 in H. Christensen's 5/1984 sale - with this countermark) and is hereby offered for the first time. It should naturally elicit strong interest as both a Costa Rican necessity issue and a U. S. countermarked coin.From the Pura Vida Collection, Part I
Estimate: 6000-8000 USD