Heritage World Coin Auctions
Showcase Auction 61270 15 May 2022
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Brazil
"Maranhão" Fantasy "M20" Counterstamped 80 Reis 1830-R UNC, KM-Unl, LMB-E148. A carefully struck countermark, applied on an XF host, dressed in a chestnut brown patina. Sold with the original flip from collector Dr. Alfredo Solano de Barros, a renowned Brazilian numismatist, former head of the Numismatic department of the Brazilian National Historical Museum in the 1930's. Solano, as he signed his name on the envelopes, is famous for having "unique" pieces, as he would write, consisting mostly of esoteric countermarks of known types, some later dismissed as early 20th century fantasies.
A highly controversial countermark, first seen in the 1908 Souza Lobo catalog (different stamp), where it was cataloged as a unique pattern of the circulating Maranhão series (MV, MX and MXX counterstamps). Later in history, the entire series with the M5, M10 and M20 surfaced, the scholar Kurt Prober stating in his 1957 "Catálogo das Moedas de Cobre do Brasil" his beliefs that the M20 was indeed a Pattern, the M10 and M5 being later fabricated for collectors to "close" the series. Eugenio Caffareli wrote in his 1992 "As Moedas do Brasil" that he couldn't decide on the authenticity of such a series; but did plate one of each type, the example offered being the plate coin from his book. Even though the current edition of "Livro das Moedas do Brasil" lists this curious issue as a Pattern, our research concluded that these are likely 20th century fantasy stamps, made for collectors.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/brazil/brazil-maranhao-fantasy-m20-counterstamped-80-reis-1830-r-unc-/a/61270-98196.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-61270-05152022
HID02906262019
© 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
"Maranhão" Fantasy "M20" Counterstamped 80 Reis 1830-R UNC, KM-Unl, LMB-E148. A carefully struck countermark, applied on an XF host, dressed in a chestnut brown patina. Sold with the original flip from collector Dr. Alfredo Solano de Barros, a renowned Brazilian numismatist, former head of the Numismatic department of the Brazilian National Historical Museum in the 1930's. Solano, as he signed his name on the envelopes, is famous for having "unique" pieces, as he would write, consisting mostly of esoteric countermarks of known types, some later dismissed as early 20th century fantasies.
A highly controversial countermark, first seen in the 1908 Souza Lobo catalog (different stamp), where it was cataloged as a unique pattern of the circulating Maranhão series (MV, MX and MXX counterstamps). Later in history, the entire series with the M5, M10 and M20 surfaced, the scholar Kurt Prober stating in his 1957 "Catálogo das Moedas de Cobre do Brasil" his beliefs that the M20 was indeed a Pattern, the M10 and M5 being later fabricated for collectors to "close" the series. Eugenio Caffareli wrote in his 1992 "As Moedas do Brasil" that he couldn't decide on the authenticity of such a series; but did plate one of each type, the example offered being the plate coin from his book. Even though the current edition of "Livro das Moedas do Brasil" lists this curious issue as a Pattern, our research concluded that these are likely 20th century fantasy stamps, made for collectors.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/brazil/brazil-maranhao-fantasy-m20-counterstamped-80-reis-1830-r-unc-/a/61270-98196.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-61270-05152022
HID02906262019
© 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved