Expert: Dmitry Livshits - 10/16/2009

Question
Hello,

Recently some coins have been found in the Caribbean which have been identified as:
http://www.coins.nd.edu/ColCoin/ColCoinText/French.3.html I am looking for assistance to be able to identify the ship that might have carried these coins.

At present, we have identified that we have two versions of the coin in question:
1.    1739-K with a circle on the bottom below the date
https://secure.bowersandmerena.com/auctions/lot_detail.aspx?auctionno=13180&sessionno=1&catno=0&searchstring=&lotno=24

2.   1739-A a cat on the bottom below the date
http://www.icollector.com/1739-A-French-Colonies-Billon-Sou-Marque-Vlack-18-Ra_i...

Specifically, we are wondering if theses were coins that were sent back to Paris to be counter stamped.  If so, what changes were made?

On the Notre Dame site it states that some French coins were to be sent to Canada and Louisiana and then suggests that the one pictured with the “A” stamped on it was intended for circulation in Canada.  Do you know whether there was a different stamp to be used in Louisiana?

Any assistance you can provide or a suggestion where else I might search would be sincerely appreciated.

Answer
Hi Glen,
The website you referenced is a fairly accurate history of these coins. There is one thing I would like to add, which is pertinent to why the coins were found in the Caribbean.
During the period it was common practice to recycle coinage that was not officially meant for a specific area or colony. For example, both of your coins were used in the French homeland as well as the North American colonies. However, some of these also made their way to the French Guiana colony, at the northern end of South America. You will likely find a variety of stamps (in varying ratios) in any of the colonies.
Another interesting point, silver and gold coins of the period were often used as currency in completely foreign countries and colonies. For example the Spanish 8 reales, or "pillar dollars", which were circulated everywhere from the Americas to the Orient. As long as they had assay silver/gold weight, they were ok with most merchants.
Your best bet at unraveling this mystery is to request information from the French Navy, which will likely have records on lost ships going back to this time period. There is no readily available resource that is available to the public.
Thanks for teh question, and best of luck! =)