1 Dollar - George III (Type I countermark; oval) 1791-1794 front 1 Dollar - George III (Type I countermark; oval) 1791-1794 back
1 Dollar - George III (Type I countermark; oval) 1791-1794 photo
© Heritage Auctions

1 Dollar - George III Type I countermark; oval

 
Silver (.896) 27.0674 g 40 mm
Description
Issuer
United Kingdom (United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies)
King
George III (1760-1820)
Type
Standard circulation coin
Years
1791-1794
Value
1 Dollar = 4 Shillings 9 Pence (19⁄80)
Currency
Countermarked coinage (1797-1804)
Composition
Silver (.896)
Weight
27.0674 g
Diameter
40 mm
Shape
Round
Demonetized
Yes
Updated
2024-10-09
References
Numista
N#27971
Rarity index
94%

Reverse

Crowned shield of arms dividing pillars, legend around.

Script: Latin

Lettering:
·HISPAN·ET IND·REX· & · 8R ·D·A·
PLUS VLTRA

Translation: King of Spain and the Indies

Comment

Countermarked Coinage (1797-1804)

Emergency issue consisting of foreign silver coins, usually Spanish Colonial, having a bust of George III within an oval (1797) or octagonal (1804) frame. Countermarked 8 Reales circulated at 4 Shillings 9 Pence in 1797 and 5 Shillings in 1804. The puncheons used for countermarking foreign coins for this series were available for many years afterward, especially the oval die and apparently a number of foreign coins other than Spanish or Spanish Colonial 8 Reales were countermarked for collectors.

Issuer: Bank of England; Countermark: Oval, Type I; Date: Dates shown are of the host coin;

Countermarked on Chile 8 Reales of Carlos IIII, Santiago mint KM#51.

For more detail on these emergency issues,
please read THE BANK OF ENGLAND COUNTERMARKED DOLLARS, 1797-1804 by H.E. Manville.

Interesting fact

One interesting fact about the 1791-1794 George III Type I countermark; oval silver dollar coin from the United Kingdom is that it was one of the first coins to feature a portrait of a British monarch on a dollar coin. This was a significant departure from the previous design, which featured an image of Liberty. The inclusion of the monarch's portrait was seen as a symbol of the British government's desire to assert its authority and control over the currency. Additionally, the use of silver in the coin's composition was a departure from the previous copper coins, and it marked a shift towards the use of more valuable metals in the production of currency.