Date: c. 1808

Description:

Coin and counter-mark fine (F). An extremely rare item but despite being only estimated at £400-500 by DNW; it sold for a healthy GB£ 3,400 + buyer’s premium + tax. This coin would most likely be unfamiliar to the local population and it was stamped to define its value in Dutch colonial currency. Although never part of the Dutch West Indies group of colonies, it was influenced by the Dutch economically, traded with them and accepted their currency.

• A stiver was a small coin formerly used in the Netherlands, equal to one twentieth of a guilder. It is also archaic slang for “any coin of low value” or a very small or insignificant amount, e.g. “they didn’t care a stiver.”

• • Weight: 3.86g (59.6 grains)
  • References: Olrog p. 25, fig. 5; cf. Prid. Montserrat 10; KM. 8-9
  • Extremely rare

Obverse:

• Bust of George III, facing right
  • Legend: “GEOGRIVS III DEI GRATIA”
• About Fine (aF) on obverse

Reverse:

• 5-Line inscription above date “BANK / TOKEN / TEN / PENCE / IRISH / 1805“
• About Fine (aF) on reverse

Edge:

• Reeded

Provenance:

• The Lyall Collection of Cut and Countermarked Coins, Dix, Noonan & Webb Auction (London), 25 September 2018, lot 5085.
• W. Raymond Collection, Part III, NASCA Auction (New York), 14-16 August 1978, lot 3719; bought from K.V. Eckardt, 1982.

Country:

• St Barts / Ireland

• Saint Barthélemy, officially the Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Barthélemy, also known as St. Barts (English) or St. Barth (French), is an overseas collectivity of France in the Caribbean. The island lies about 30 kilometres (19 miles) south-east of the island of Saint Martin; it is north-east of the Dutch islands of Saba and Sint Eustatius, as well as north of the independent country of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Back in 1808, the island was controlled by the British

  • Christopher Columbus was the first European to encounter the island in 1493

  • In 1648, the island was privately settled by a Lt. Governor of the French West India Co

    • The settlement was attacked by Caribs in 1656 and briefly abandoned

  • In 1665, it was bought by the French West India Co

  • By 1674, the company was dissolved; the islands became part of France/colony of Guadeloupe

    • The island proved economically unsuccessful, and was subject to the activities of pirates (most notably Daniel Montbars aka ‘Montbars the Exterminator’). In 1744, British forces captured the island, holding it until 1764 when it reverted to French control

  • Deeming it to be of little worth, King Louis XVI traded the island to Sweden in 1784 in return for trading privileges in Gothenburg. This change of control saw progress and prosperity as the Swedes declared Gustavia (named after the Swedish king Gustav III who ruled at that time) a free port, convenient for trading by the Europeans for goods, including contraband material.

  • In 1801, Britain attacked and occupied the island, and after assembling a council of war, the Swedes decided to surrender.

Category:

• Irish Counter-struck for use Overseas

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Other Information:

Collecting the cut and counter-marked coins of the West Indies has always been a challenge. Traditionally, collectors tended to collect the series as a part of much larger country collections and this is I am including it here, i.e. like the Irish coins and tokens re-used in the 13 original American colonies, it is part of the broader Irish numismatic story.

• Cut and/or counter-marked coins in gold and silver are generally rare

• They came about over a relatively short period of time to solve very local problems

• Like the various pulses of Irish trade token and ‘emergency’ issues, once the need no longer existed, they were generally eliminated as soon as possible via the melting pot

• This coin is doubly interesting because the donor coin (a Bank of Ireland 10 pence token) was itself a temporary token issue to solve a local and national shortage of ‘good silver’ coinage n Ireland and the rest of the UK at that time

Further Reading:

• Pridmore, Fred. “The Coins of the British Commonwealth of Nations” (West Indies), Part III. 1965

Other Irish Coin Issues Counter-struck for use Overseas

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