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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;ExoMan, post: 3544029, member: 72588&quot;]This trio of counterstamps display tiny letters, akin to what fine craftsmen like watchmakers, silversmith and jewelers would use. Checking silversmith listings by Kovel and a few other sources, I see no matches. The bordered letters suggest this is a hallmark of sorts, used to mark products. </p><p><br /></p><p>My guess in that these stamps may be pre-Civil War; this, given the use of a bullet between the two letters. The letters, S and R, being misaligned, I&#039;m inclined to suspect that the &quot;issuer&quot; may have been an apprentice, someone relatively unknown.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Note that all three coins are silver. Having been kept together all these years, they may have been &quot;stash,&quot; destined for an artisan&#039;s melting pot. It wasn&#039;t unusual for merchant&#039;s who dealt in silver and gold products to mark their stash in case of theft. In researching counterstamps and tokens,</p><p><br /></p><p>I often peruse old newspapers. I once ran across an account of a thief being arrested by &quot;virtue&quot; of possessing a stamped coin, stolen from a jeweler.&nbsp; Given that these are apparently maverick hallmarks, a positive attribution would hinge upon finding a product or another coin that provides clues, like a stamped town, address, occupation, etc. </p><p><br /></p><p>Perhaps, Bruce can expand on my thoughts ...[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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