BRITISH HONDURAS. British Honduras - Mexico. Dollar (6 Shillings 1 Pence), ND (ca. 1810-20). PCGS EF-45 Gold Shield; Countermark: AU Details.KM-1.2; cf.Prid-1; cf.Pridmore collection-Lot # 156; Byrne Collection-Lot # 1371/72 (same stamp); Tankersley Collection-Lot # 3 (same stamp); Lyall Collection-Lot # 5002 (same stamp); Gibbs Collection-1552/53 (same stamp). Crude raised crowned "GR" countermark within pointed rectangle indent on an 1809-MoTH Mexico 8 Reales (KM-110). Countermark deeply applied and clear. Lightly toned with the stamp nearly obliterating Ferdinand VIIs face. Considerably nicer than typically encountered for the type. This stamp was previously attributed as a counterfeit of some nature, but this has been debunked considering that this stamp appears on host coins that have been overstruck by Brazilian 960 Reis, see illustration in Levy on pg. 157 Fig.XII.18 - RG.8. According to famous collector and author Fred Pridmore all of the so-called British Honduras countermarks were applied by merchants to facilitate trade with the local indigenous Indian tribes. However, due to lack of contemporary documentation this is speculative.From the Kyle Ponterio Collection.Ex: Stacks Bowers & Ponterio NYINC January 8, 2016 Lot # 42155.Ex: Renaissance Auctions December 6, 2000 "The Siegfried von Schuckmann Collection" Lot # 845 (Part of).
