The first coin is a 1847 Large Cent. It's stamped M. Nash Feb 9th. Only the obverse is stamped and it's placed just above the date. The reverse did not show any damage. The second coin is a 1853 Large Cent. The counterstamp is on both sides of the coin and it's stamped twice on each side. It's hard to take a clear photo andvthe damage is very clear. The name is D. STRAYBEL. What's so interesting about this one is that the counterstamp forms an X. On both sides it runs from rim to rim. With the wear the counterstamp had caused a considerable amount of damage. But what is a counterstamp? A Counterstamped, punchmarked or countermarked coin is a coin that has had some additional marks, a name, date, etc. or symbols punched into it at some point after it was originally minted. This practice is done after the coin has left the Mint. Countermarking can be done for a variety of reasons. The main reason is for adverstising. Similarly, foreign coins could be marked as legal or accepted currency, thus allowing them to circulate in the area where they were countermarked. This would be the case asvin Trade Dollars. Counter-marking can also be done for political reasons, i.e. a new state or régime demonstrating its authority by countermarking coins issued by the previous state. Some experts recommend not using the term countermark and counterstamp as synonyms but in different contexts. A counterstamp is applied by a die, and by machine to an existing coin, while a countermark is punched onto the coin, mostly by hand, using a punch and a hammer or a primitive hand-operated machine. Often countermarks are applied by private persons, as is the case with chops (often referred to as chop marks), which were punched by money changers, bankers or shroffs onto foreign coins circulating in China in the 19th century. In contrast the use of counterstamps should be authorized by a local or national Government. The term punchmark is mainly used when referring to the early Indian silver coins which are coin-like pieces of metal of a standard weight that are bearing various symbols which were applied with punches, resulting in what are known as punchmarked. Today a counterstamp is meant to be anything that is permanently placed on a coin. They are very collectible. A counterstamped coin is a free way to advertise your business or product. It was also a way to advertise politically. While most collectors go for the old marks there is a market for modern coins that are Counterstamped.
Would you agree that this coin has been counter-stamped by its government to reduce its value? It had an 80 on it originally.
Yes, definitely. Some governments will counterstamp existing coinage because it's cheaper than melting and remitting.
I hear you l. I like both for different reasons. The Nash coin is definitely hand stamped. The S in Nash is backwards and the reverse is clean. Even though the second coin is destroyed, I can't recall seeing a counterstamp that was done twice and formed an X on one side let alone on both sides.
