Coin and Paper Money Collecting/1788 Carolus III

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Expert: - 8/31/2009


Question
I just purchased this coin and it has about 30 symbols stamped into the coin. Some are star shaped, oriental letters? I am trying find out what these are.

Answer
Hi Steve,
These are private counter-stamps, used by merchants in the Oriental/Asian trade. These stamps served the dual purpose of testing for authenticity (many counterfeits were floating around at that time) and as a sign that it passed through a particular merchants hands.
When the coin itself is in relatively good condition, the more stamps you have the more desirable it is. This is basically proof that this coin was used in the Eastern and not one of the many other areas that identical coins had circulated.
The specific mint marks (would be on the left side of the reverse, with the pillars) also determine value... some are quite affordable while others are very rare.
Feel free to ask a follow-up if you need more info.
Thanks for the question! =)

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Dmitry Livshits

Expertise

My specialty is world coins from the 18th to 20th centuries, primarily non-US foreign coins and related areas such as errors and exonumia (tokens, medals, etc.). I can answer questions relating to identification, grading, selling, preservation and evaluation of such items. In addition to catalog value, I can give you the practical market value and trends for specific types of coins. I will also take questions regarding counterfeits (both modern and antique) and on how to identify them. I am NOT knowledgeable in paper money/banknotes, ancient or "shipwreck" coins. Thank you.

Experience

Collector of world coins since early childhood. Access to a variety of auction records and reference material. You can also find me on Facebook.

Education/Credentials
A.S. in Psychology (2006), B.A. in Forensic Psychology (2008), M.A. in Forensic Psychology (2011).

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