The Lyall Collection of Cut and Countermarked Coins

Virgin Islands – Tortola, Issues c. 1800+, Black Dogg, a counterfeit French Metropolitan 2 Sols, 1749, rev. countermarked with incuse h surrounded by an incuse square frame, 1.85g/28.5 gr (Prid. 19A [Sale, lot 203]). Coin fair, countermark very fine
£50-80

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Lyall Collection of Cut and Countermarked Coins.

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Collection

Provenance: Hopkins Hoard, SNC September 1974 (75); bt Spink 1975.

There are various versions of the h countermarks. These privately issued marks have been attributed to Arthur Hodge, who owned Bellevue Estate on Tortola and is infamous for his cruel punishment to his slaves. He was eventually convicted of the murder of a slave and executed in 1811, this being a landmark case. Bellevue was a rather small estate and these issues are much more likely to have come from the estates owned by Bezaliel Hodge, who was the largest landowner on Tortola; he owned 20 estates at various locations around the island