The Lyall Collection of Cut and Countermarked Coins

Guadeloupe, French Administration, c. pre-1811, Nine Livres, a Charles IV, 8 Réales, 1789fm, Mexico City, transitional type, pierced from the rev. with a square hole with crenated edges, no countermark, 24.05g/371.1gr (Prid. –; KM –). Fine, extremely rare; very few specimens recorded £800-1,000

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

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Provenance: Bt Spink 1999.

The French Act or Decree for this issue has not been traced, but reference is made in the British Decree of 6 May 1811 (Article 6) that Citizen Gobert would pierce dollars as he did for the French administration, but the coins covered under the British Decree would also be stamped on both sides with the crowned g punch. After the British Decree went into effect the coins authorised under the French Administration would most likely have been stamped unofficially in order to comply with it, which explains the rarity of the unstamped examples and the variety of crowned g stamps