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Message:: [QUOTE="BRandM, post: 1682385, member: 22729"][ATTACH]252120.vB[/ATTACH][ATTACH]252121.vB[/ATTACH]Here's what I think is an example of one the best modern counterstamps (1948 to the present) that illustrates both beauty and value. An example surfaces once in a great while on eBay or somewhere else and routinely sells in the $200 range. I consider this a "Holy Grail" coin in that it always draws a lot of interest and strong bids from collectors. I've wanted one of these for sometime and was finally successful in winning this one.These MariaThresea thaler counterstamped coins were issued by the Missouri Numismatic Society to celebrate their 25th anniversary in 1963. The Society actually purchased 500 of them directly from the Austrian Mine in late 1963. The stamps were designed by Christian Schlather and struck by Strange Manufacturing in St. Louis later that year. For whatever reason only 457 pieces were actually produced. Of those 457 only about 125 to 150 were actually distributed to Society members or other numismatic organizations.The remaining 300 were sold to Miami, FL coin dealer Sid Smith. Smith had great difficulty moving then and four years after purchasing them from the Society reported that he had only sold about 30. It's believed that the remaining 300 or so went to the melting pot. I would estimate that there are less than 100 of these still in existence. Bruce[/QUOTE]