Post your chopmarked/counter stamped coins!

Yep, I just realized that! I thought it was a quarter until just a couple of minutes ago, it's funny how my old brain works or in this case, didn't work.

 

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Been there, done that ....

 

I picked up this one amongst a bunch of others a couple of weeks ago. The Broad Arrow tells me it is Military, but I am not sure what the A.I.D R54 is for:

I presume Silver plated - I can see no evidence of underlying bronze in the counter stamp or drilled hole, so presumably plated after counter stamp.

 

I agree with ExoMan...jeweler or cutlery mark.

Bruce

 

That looks to be an inspector's stamp, Paddy. Like you say, the broad arrow makes it an official government mark. The initials and numbers may be that of the inspector and/or the department he worked in.

I'm not sure if a broad arrow always indicated a military stamp, because the symbol was used on all sorts of government property...even on prisoner's uniforms up until the 1920s or 1930s I believe.

It was probably plated and kept as a souvenir. An interesting piece, Paddy.

Bruce

 

Here's a couple I have, Paddy. The one piece has so many stamps on it that I had to look at it closely to decipher them all.

The second on the reverse of the English Penny is likely a political statement. It's "homemade" so not official. The broad arrow symbol is thought to be a show of support for Nationalist Irish prisoners before and during the Troubles era.

Bruce

 

Looks like the stamper's goal was to eradicate the Royal side, and he/she succeeded. Seeing the piece in this context juices the history.

 

The second one looks to me as if someone was using the penny to try out new stamps! Interesting.

 

It looks to me like the arrow is directing Lady Britannia toward the ocean .... "take a leap, my dear." The king was obliterated by the punches. IMHO, Bruce's penny is more than a test piece. Someone took time and effort to make a political statement, methinks.

 

Very nice pieces up there! Not sure which one I like the best, the 1918 or the bottom one Bruce posted!

 

That is a killer coin. A very good get. Thanks!

 

Scarcer chopped coin as it's on a 2 reales. Fun stuff.

 

You're probably right, Paddy. I forget how many individual stamps are on the coin, but I don't think it was an attempt to deface the King. Just a few inspectors getting together and trying out their stamps. A souvenir, perhaps.

Since these are official government marks applied by British inspectors, it's unlikely their application was intended to deface...but who knows, Bill. At the time, I believe it was illegal to stamp slogans...particularly political slogans...on coins in the UK, so if that were the case, their stamps would identify them. They mind as well put their name on it.

Bruce

 

This is an interesting piece of Troubles prison art. I'm always skeptical when something is described as prison or trench art, as it tends to make the piece more important and thus desirable...more expensive too. I was skeptical about this coin as well, as it was described that way. I decided to research it and see if any information was available that would confirm the seller's claims. Surprisingly, it was.

Key chains, wallets, handbags, jewelry boxes, and other items were made by inmates at Maze Prison during the 1970s and 1980s. They were sold on the outside to help support the prisoner's families while they were incarcerated. Though I couldn't determine the exact methods used to sell them, I did come across a 1981 reference to a display of items for sale at UDA headquarters in East Belfast. The Ulster Defence Association was a Loyalist paramilitary organized in 1971.

The stamp on this is a common badge or crest used by the UDA. Quis Separabit is the organization's motto. It means "Who Will Separate Us?" The coin is a 1937 / 1946 George VI English Half Crown. The reverse is smoothed off which has obliterated nearly all the design. The composition...silver...and visible legends make it identifiable only to the range of dates listed. The size...32mm...tells me it's a Half Crown. The original key ring was sent with the coin. The overall quality is quite good, and the coloring well applied.

Bruce

 

Cool item, Bruce! I'm guessing that's blood on the hand, signifying a violent group, perhaps?

 

Never have found out much about these.

 

Actually the "Red Hand of Ulster" is an ancient symbol associated with the area. The legend goes that there was an agreement that the first warrior to put his hand on the territory could claim it. One leader of the O'Neill clan cut off his hand and threw it ahead of his competitors and so won!
Much more and many alternative legends at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Hand_of_Ulster

 

Interesting stamps, these. The first one looks like a difficult maverick to me. The BRATTLE HOUSE c/s is one that I've seen before. I contemplated bidding on one, but I was unable to make a positive attribution. To my recollection, there were establishments by this name in both Brattleboro, VT and Boston, MA. My guess is that this coin was stamped in the 1850's.

I'd humbly recommend that, when posting counterstamped coins for viewing, the stamped images be oriented according to the stamp and not the coin; otherwise, both. This makes study and viewing easier. Also, close-up pics of small stamps make for easier reading.

 

Thank you for the info. First time I have heard circa 1850s. Good idea on the orientation.

 

A chop mark

A chop mark is a single Chinese character that indicates a particular merchant.
If a coin has multiple chop marks it has been verified by multiple Chinese merchants. A counter stamp can be a design or words usually on more modern coins. Many people call marks on ancient coins COUNTER MARKS and the title of one of the Brunk books is COUNTER MARKS ON WORLD COINS. Hope that helps.