What is this? I have some novelties like the two face coin from batman, and they say "copy" on one side, obviously due to their real enough features. but this was in a bank wrapped roll, and its real. I stumped and I would rather share here than google it. check it out....
Well...I can tell you I've certainly never seen anything like this, but then I haven't been in the game as long as some others here. Maybe someone else will have a clue.
Is that counter, meaning "the one who counts is a counter" or as in "they struck us! We will counter strike!"?
Good to have you here cm. Counterstamping was very popular especially in the mid to late 1800s. Most were done for the purpose of advertising a business, promoting a political point of view, or for personal identification. Today you don't see it much but there are still quite a number of contemporary issues out there. The last and by far the greatest number of modern stamps were issued in the period of the Irish Troubles from approximately 1969 to 1998. Tens of thousands were struck on English and Irish coins and circulated throughout the UK and Ireland to promote the agenda of both sides in the conflict. I've posted a few from both periods for you to see. Bruce
wow, that's the best, and coolest knowledge drop I have experienced yet! thank you, and also thank you for the cool pics!
It may be necessary to revisit this designation and statistic at some point…. I am willing to bet that modern US counterstamps from the mid 1990s through current day outnumber by far anything produced (for circulation) in any particular era in the 20th century. The anti-war nickels first counterstamped in 2006 numbered in the several thousands or more, and the 2012 Ron Paul nickels numbered in the thousands as well. Other counterstampers that I know of certainly add hundreds a year to the statistic, and one in particular has counterstamped more than 20,000 coins. Any ideas on the estimated top counterstamped issues, not including novelty coins and maybe also not including government revaluations (such as Brazil or Costa Rica)? I am guessing PEARS’ SOAP from the latter part of the 19th century is one of the most widely produced counterstamps, but that is a guess, and I do not know which ones might be behind that one or how close they are in total production. It might be a good topic for consideration, and it would also give modern counterstampers a record to beat….
It all depends on what you consider "modern" Jeff. The Ron Paul, FSP, and anti-war nickels are modern of course, but I don't consider the Pear's Soap or South American pieces in that category, or as you say, the Lincoln Cent or Kennedy Half novelties. I consider 1948 as the start of the modern era, but someone else can assign any date to it that they want. I would still say that the Irish Troubles saw the most concentrated effort at counterstamping seen in many years, both in number and variety. The total issued is any ones guess as is the number of different slogans, acronyms, or defacements stamped, gouged, chiseled or scratched on British and Irish coins. People I know who lived through these times attest to how common these pieces were. Some of the slogans are as simple as the "Keep Ulster British" stamp I posted earlier, while others would make a sailor blush. I can't say on this forum what they said or Doug will get me. In any case, I see your point Jeff. There are many more modern counterstamped issues out there than people realize. Hey, and don't forget, were doing our part. Bruce
I agree that PEARS is not "modern" by any measure I can think of - I was just wondering what the most common counterstamp (at least in terms of original production) might be, regardless of era. Considering how many of those are still out there, they must be in the running for the top spot. I love the Irish/UK coins for their historical value. I have only a few, all with with pretty basic counterstamps. I am afraid to pay too much for them as it is difficult if not impossible to know for sure when they were done. I recall picking up a pair of Irish large pennies from the same eBay aution, with two opposite viewpoionts being expressed. The letters were the same style, the damage to the reverse was the same (obviously the coins were on a concreete floor when struck, and they showed pronounced cupping that would have made circulating them a bit difficult), and even the orientation of the letters was similar. I did not pay too much for them so I was too bothered either way, but they are a good chance to study for potential authenticiopty red flags. If I can locate them I will post pictures at some pint so people can judge. I might well be wrong, but as far as I know none of the Irish coins were done with a prepared stamp. That is understandable, but unfortunate for collectors.
Of all the different counterstamped coins I've seen there's only a single one that was from a prepared punch, a "Vanguard" stamp. There actually are some diagnostics to look for when authenticating an Irish political issue and has to do with the date of the coin, positioning of the stamp itself, and to a lesser extent, the type (English/Irish) used. Bruce
