TRIVIA: Counterstruck,overstruck,etc.

There seems to be some confusion as to what counterstamped, countermarked, overstruck and chop marked mean in numismatics. I shall endeavor to clarify those terms.

Overstruck is when a previous coin is treated as though it was a flan/blank/planchet.

When the Crusaders (1095 to 1295 AD) swept through Europe, they needed a way to finance their endeavor, pay their military leaders and create a monetary presence during, and after, each victory. They accomplished this by overstriking all coins in the newly taken territory with images of Christ and crosses (obverses, reverses and/or both sides). Here's an example courtesy of Coin Archives:

This one is Overstruck on an Islamic Fals:

http://imagedb.coinarchives.com/img/baldwin/052/01167q00.jpg


This next overstrike example is a French coin. The coin is a silver Ecu produced by the Reims Mint in 1693 featuring the "Sun King" (Louis XIV) It was overstruck on a Ecu aux huit L from the Paris Mint:

http://imagedb.coinarchives.com/img/cng/076/enlarged/76001787.jpg

The most famous and most valued overstruck coinis the 1804 United States of America Dollar struck on an 1857 Bern, Switzerland Shooting Thaler (image courtesy of Coin Facts):
NOTE: This coin was struck clandestinely and later seized by the government. Read accompanying information.

http://www.coinfacts.com/silver_dollars/1804_dollars/mint_1804_silver_dollar_class2.htm



Not only were coins overstruck by the dies of other coins, but some coins were overstruck with token dies:

http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=433887&AucID=320&Lot=766


http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=433890&AucID=320&Lot=769


Countermarked and counterstamped are the same. One or two marks/stamps were hammered into the coin to change something about the coin, i.e. date, denomination, and/or issuer. This was practiced by many countries during times of coin shortages or other emergencies.
Probably the most well-known example of this is the Philippines Isabel II ("YII" ) countermark that was stamped on an 1834 Chilean Peso originally issued by the Republican Provisional Government at their Santiago Mint (image courtesy of Coin Archives):
http://imagedb.coinarchives.com/img/bruun/774/image05281.jpg


And this next example is an English countermark. The original coin is a Spanish 1790 8 Reales struck at the Mexico City Mint bearing a portrait of the Spanish King, Charles IV. The oval stamp on the obverse changes the denomination of the coin to an English Dollar AND it transfers the sovereignty of the coin from Charles IV of Spain to George III of England. (image courtesy of Coin Archives):

http://imagedb.coinarchives.com/img/baldwin/stjames6/00274q00.jpg



Brazil, in order to produce coinage during a time of high inflation, countermarked/counterstamped its own older coinage to half the denomination it previously was or twice what it was. . Here's four examples of those changes. images courtesy of Don's Coin Gallery:

Larger to smaller
http://worldcoingallery.com/countries/coin.php?image=nmc1/27-433_1&desc=Brazil%20km433.1%2020%20Reis%20(1835)%2020%20stamp%20on%2040%20Reis

http://worldcoingallery.com/countri...=Brazil km446 40 Reis (1835) Stamp on 80 Reis

http://worldcoingallery.com/countri...96 10 Reis (1833-1834) countermark on 20 Reis


Smaller to larger

http://worldcoingallery.com/countri...l km291 80 Reis Shield Stamp on 40 Reis (1809)
Another South American country did the same thing: "Costa Rica."


http://worldcoingallery.com/countri...35 50 Centavos (1874-1886) counterstamped 161



http://worldcoingallery.com/counntries/nmc1/46-157.jpg



http://worldcoingallery.com/countri... Rica km163 1 Colon (1923) counterstamped 124

Look what a Russian Mint did!

http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=343068&AucID=251&Lot=1007


http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=343069&AucID=251&Lot=1008



Here's a treat - Jamaica!

http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=205859&AucID=164&Lot=4649


http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=326193&AucID=237&Lot=5247


Tokens are involved in overstriking too:

http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=433939&Auc=320&Lot-818



http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=385130&AucID=288&Lot=1343


http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=385129&AucID=288&Lot=1342


This brings us to the term Chop marked. A Chop mark is a mark stamped or struck on a coin by a local Chinese merchant, banker, community leader or politician affirming the coin is genuine or, at least, is worth the denomination whether bronze Cash, copper Cent, silver Dollar, silver Yuan, silver Rupee, silver Tael or whatever the medal composition and/or denomination. The Chop mark doesn't change anything about the coin.

In 1949 one of the new entries placed in the Mirriam-Webster Dictionary was:

"chop mark noun : an indentation made on a coin to attest weight, silver content, or legality--chop marked
––\'chäp-,märkt\ adjective


Here's some examples of Chinese Chop Marks:

1860-O USA Liberty Seated Dollar

http://www.coinpage.com/large.php?tImageId=3111

1875-CC USA Trade Dollar (this one really traveled)

obverse

http://www.coinpage.com/large.php?tImageId=5330


reverse


http://www.coinpage.com/large.php?tImageId=5331

A Mexican 1778 8 Reales of Karl IV
http://imagedb.coinarchives.com/img/meister/schnell07/01154q00.jpg



A 1898 Kiangnan Dollar

http://imagedb.coinarchives.com/img spink/4026/image00451.jpg




1853 Formosa, China 1 Dollar

http://imagedb.coinarchives.com/img/spink/4002/image00534.jpg



Here's an "icing on the cake" historical account of a Chop mark's identity on a Malaysia Tin Cash Coin/token minted in the State of Trengganu. Click the image to enlarge and the Chop Mark at the top of the obverse will become apparent:

http://www.charm.ru/coins/misc/tecksoonkongsi.shtml


Hope you enjoyed this trivia...

Clinker

 

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Clinker:
You outdid yourself this time!
Great research & illustrations.

Thanks for posting.

 

As always, thanks a million for all the research. Less like trivia and more like an encyclopedia !

US didn't make Trade Dollars in 1860. That's a standard, legal tender Seated Dollar.

I find it interesting they would chop mark a coin to verify it's value. It's easy enough to weigh it... but did they assay them as well ? They would have to be 90% by weight silver to be worth face. How did they prove that ?

 

900fine:
Good catch, I was so busy looking that I missed it.
Also, Clinker & all, does that marking (on the 1860O look more like a countermark, than a chopmark?
Mind you, I am in no ways an expert on Chinese chop marks, but it sure lookslike the letter 'G'.

 

Sorry not enough, I'm a mad freak of overstruck coins and there are more overstruck Russian coins.

Here are some cheap Russian overstrike coins:

Original:


Overstruck to:


I had a picture list of overstruck coins somewhere but I can't find them at the moment. What interests me more is cross country overstrikes which is awfully bizarre like mentioned earlier on, such as the 1804 dollar coin over Swiss Thaler.

These are some of my personal ones. Such overstrikes are like:
Chinese 10 cash


over Korean 5 fun


Russia kopek over Swedish 1 ore (trust me, this can be a real challenge)


And then Belgium 1835 2 cents overstruck on Dutch 1 cent (1817-1837)


And bizarre overstriked coins still occur like this one: (not mine, sold recently in a Finnish coin auction)

Kosher Finnish 2 euros (overstruck over Israel 10 shekels) darn rare

I do intend to build a site for this but unfortunately there is an overwhelming amount of data at the moment and I need a lot of time.

 

Wow clinker. just awsome, absolutely astounding post! very informative, and just super cool

thanks!

 

900fine

Most, probably, were weighed by the person applying their chop mark, but the common folk had not the means to weigh or otherwise determine the authenticity of any coin. The chop mark was the certified authenticity to all who knew and respected the person. As trade among the people of one region transported the coin to another region, another prominent person authenticated the coin. Thus, some coins bear more than one chop mark.

Clinker

 

gxseries

Thanks for all those examples gxseries...

Clinker

 

Great, Informative, and Interesting thread as usual...

Ben

 

Thanks again, Clinker, that was a great read. Here is one of my only examples, a Yemeni 1 ahmadi riyal dated 1375 AH, overstruck on a MT thaler. I've outlined the remaining image of the eagle's feet in red.

 

acanthite, thanks for the picture. May I kindly know if this particular coin that you are showing is painfully expensive? A rough estimate will be fine. Also, I am interested in creating a world overstriked page - may I have your permission in using your image? I will do the proper crediting and such.

 

Treashunt

THANKS for reading

Clinker

 

gxseries

Let us know when your site is up and ready...

Clinker

 

Wow !
I'm glad I waited until I had enough spare time to read this one.
Fantastic work as always, Clinker !

 

Of course, gxseries, you may use the photo, and I can send you other photos without the red lines. This coin, in fact, was not painfully expensive, less than $50 if I remember correctly. Most ahmadi riyals were overstrikes on MT thalers.

 

Daggerhon

Your comments helped make my day...

Clinker

 

Bonedigger

Thanks for reading and commenting again, Ben.

Clinker

 

acanthite

I want to echo gxseries comment. Thanks for sharing the photo!

Clinker

 

rotobeast

And thank you for taking the time to check out all yhe coin pics (mine and the other member's additions!

Clinker

 

Clinker - just give me a bit of time - I'm loaded with one major assignment and after that I will be free to do whatever I like.

I do have a bomb load of numismatic articles prepared and one of which is the overstriking project. And also, just one recent auction about an interesting overstrike: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110201792257