This one has me stumped. The counter-mark looks like a crude incuse thistle and the punch on the reverse side is a clear spade. Does anyone recognize these marks? any help would be GREATLY appreciated! Thank you! =)
The coin is KM#601, with a bust of Mad King George. The thistle is a Scottish symbol, but I haven't found any historical event associated with 1775 to explain its counterpunch on an English coin. BTW, according to the Standard Catalog of World Coins
Thanks Hontonai. This coin is the right size and weight for the condition, so I am confident it's not a forgery. Will keep hoping for a solution to this mystery. =)
Maybe Samuel Johnson had it specially commissioned to commemorate his visit to the Western Isles of Scotland that year?
Hi Thaivic, Thanks for replying. I will will look into that Historical event, but it seems a little crude for that. A commemorative piece would usually be a well executed medal. I was thinking along the lines of possibly a Scottish or Nova Scotian merchant counter-stamp. Couldn't find any info on it though, though I only spent a few hours doing various google searches on related keywords. Thanks again! =)
Sorry Numismat I should have inserted a smiley to indicate that it was a flippant remark. Serves me right for being such a smart***.
it's possible that it was placed on the coin deliberately by one of you colonials back in those days after all it is george the third who was not highly thought of in the colonies at that time, if it had been a genuine mark legaly put on by the royal mint i doubt very much that it would have been stamped into king georges head. :hammer: mike.
But that is typically exactly where countermarks were placed. No idea where this one could have come from, but all of the Scottish thistle countermarks were of an entirely different shape and design than this. And the spade I have never seen.
Hey there GDJMSP, Thanks for chiming in. =) I did compare it to the official thistle counter-marks and yes this one is completely crude compared to that. For that reason I am trying to research private merchant or trader tokens, rather than official coins. The spade is seen on some coins and tokens of that period as well, though I am confused that both shapes are on the same item.
Mike, it may very well be a stylized rose, or even something else. I went with thistle because it's the first thing that came into my mind when looking at it and it was seen on Scottish and Canadian items at that time. I guess the same can apply for a rose. Thanks again! =)
Given the crudeness, its more likely to be an unofficial mark of sorts. A form of grafitti, probably. "Hmm. I have these tools. Lemme bang them on this ha'penny for a bit."
