Lot Number 120
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1828 Fleur-de-Lis Counterstamp - O.117 R.1 F-VF Holed
Not from the Hilgard collection, though Henry had a holed Good-4 1831 O.111 with the same counterstamp. This one was cherried on eBay awhile back. Stack’s/Bowers recounted the origin of the counterstamp when it sold the Hilgard coin in March 2014:
Until the late 1850s, coins used in Puerto Rico were from many different nations, but primarily Spanish-American silver. In 1884, Louis Daban, governor of the island for Spain, issued a decree that mutilated and holed coins could be turned in at treasury depots and stamped with fleur-de-lis markings – apparently the marks varying slightly in style, according to what area of the island they were intended for use, the areas being Fajardo, Guayamo, Ponce, Mayaguez, Arecibo, Viques and San Juan.
The Hilgard coin was traced to a 1976 Jess Peters’ sale, appearing later in the 1992 sale of the Witham and Sansoucy Collections. Though well worn, it sold for $3,055. The present coin has an ancient, dark grey patina, just like Grandma’s silver, Henry used to say.
Estimate: You’re on your own!