Up to 1821 | Chopmarked Coins

1624 or 1625/4 Mexico 4 Reales cob Philip IV type

Specifications:
13.53 g, .931 fine silver, .4053 troy oz (actual silver weight), this specimen 13.50 g
Recorded mintage: unknown, rare assayer 'D' for 4 reales denomination
Catalog reference: KM-38

Details:
1625/4 Mexico 4 Reales cob, Mexico City mint, struck in silver weighing 13.53 g and about .930 fineness. The obverse shows a partial Jerusalem cross with lions and castles representing the Spanish royal arms, while the reverse bears a crowned shield with elements of the Habsburg arms, the mintmark Mo, and the assayer initial D, for Diego de Godoy, an assayer at the Mexico City mint from 1618 through 1634. As with most hand-cut, hammer-struck cobs, the flan is irregular and the design incomplete. While assayer D is relatively well represented on Mexico City 8 reales of the 1620s, his mark is distinctly scarce on the 4 reales denomination. This general 4 reales cob type was produced throughout the reign of Philip IV (1621–1665), with overdates such as 1625/4 reflecting routine die reuse.

The 4 reales denomination occupied a practical middle ground in Spain’s colonial silver system, circulating alongside 8 reales for large payments and smaller fractional silver for everyday transactions. By the mid-1620s, the Mexico City mint was operating under sustained pressure to convert New World silver into coin for both local circulation and export, drawing heavily on silver from central Mexican mining districts. Coinage from this period reflects a production environment focused on volume and expediency rather than uniform appearance, with irregular weights and crude strikes accepted as normal so long as the silver itself was good.

Seen with chopmarks typical of the period, crudely formed but well defined, in relief surrounded by ovals, circles or rectangles. This example is particularly nice for a cob of this era, chopmarks or not

Notable chopmarks:

日 - rì - sun, day

又 - yòu - again, also, right hand

Likely 士 - shì - scholar, gentleman, soldier

Provenance:
Purchased in March 2022 from fellow collector Gerardo Martinez of Mexico.

Early-to-mid 1600's Potosi, Bolivia 8 Reales cob, probably Philip IV type

1621-1635 Mexico 1 Real cob Philip IV type

Specifications:
3.38 g, .931 fine silver, .1012 troy oz (actual silver weight), this specimen 3.58 g
Recorded mintage: unknown
Catalog reference: KM-28

Details:
The Mexico City mint had been producing silver coinage since 1536, and the 1 real was among the workhorse denominations of that output, small enough for everyday commerce but struck to the same .931 fine standard that made Spanish colonial silver trusted across three continents. Philip IV came to the throne in 1621 inheriting both the largest silver-producing empire in the world and the administrative machinery to move that silver into circulation, and Mexico City cobs of his reign represent that system at its most routine and most essential. At roughly 3.4 grams, the 1 real occupied the lower end of daily trade, filling transactions where the full 8 reales was simply too large a unit. Partly for that reason, small-denomination cobs survive in lower numbers than their larger counterparts, they were spent rather than hoarded, and their modest size made them easy to lose and difficult to recover. The date is almost always off the flan, so the date range is typically arrived at by recognizing the crown style above the shield, the character of the castle and lion punches, or whatever fragment of the assayer's initial the flan preserves.

This denomination is scarce or even rare with chopmarks, although that may be more due to the reasons mentioned above such as size, rather than low export or usage in China.

Notable chopmarks:

仁 - rén - benevolence, humanity, kernel

Small crescent moon chopmarks

千 - qiān - thousand

Small + shaped chopmark

山 - shān - mountain, hill

Possibly 土 - tǔ - earth, soil, land, Japanese radical 32

Provenance:
Purchased from the Stephen Album Sale #54 January 22-25 2026 Lot #3981

Auction Description:
CHINA: CHOPMARKED COINS: MEXICO: Felipe IV, 1621-1635, AR 1 real (3.58g), Mexico City, DM, KM-28, cob coinage, date off flan, with many small and medium Chinese chopmarks on reverse, somewhat dished, VF.

1653-Mo P Mexico 8 Reales cob Philip IV type

1668-Mo G Mexico 4 Reales cob Carlos II type (Ex. O'Harrow)

1687-P VR Bolivia 1 Real cob Carlos II type (Ex. Murphy)

Specifications:
3.38 g, .931 fine silver, .1012 troy oz (actual silver weight), this specimen 2.32 g
Recorded mintage: unknown
Catalog reference: KM-23

Details:
By 1687, the Potosí mint had been operating for well over a century, producing silver at a scale unmatched anywhere in the world, but under conditions that had been deeply reformed in the decades before this coin was struck. The Great Potosí Mint Fraud, uncovered in 1649, revealed that assayers had been systematically debasing silver coinage for years, shaking confidence in Potosí silver across Europe and Asia and prompting a redesign that replaced the old Habsburg shield type entirely. The pillars-and-waves design that replaced it in 1652 became the standard for Potosí coinage through the rest of the colonial period, and this 1 real under Carlos II belongs to that reformed tradition: the cross with lions and castles on the obverse, the twin pillars flanking PLVS VLTRA on the reverse, and the assayer's initials VR placing it precisely within the 1684-1689 window.

Carlos II, the last Habsburg king of Spain, was sixteen years old in 1687 and already deep into the reign that would end with the extinction of his line and the War of the Spanish Succession. The political fragility of the court in Madrid stands in some contrast to the industrial reliability of Potosí, which continued producing silver regardless of who sat on the throne. The 1 real was the smallest denomination in regular production at Potosí, roughly 3.4 grams, and survives in lower numbers than the larger denominations partly because it circulated hardest among the population that actually spent it.

You'll notice the weight on this piece is a little under the standard for 1 real cobs at 2.32 g, possibly it was cut down a little, as you can see one edge looks to have been chopped off.

Notable chopmarks:

兴 - xīng - rise, prosper

卐 - wàn - swastika, a sacred and auspicious symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism

王 - wáng - king, ruler

Unknown chopmark

Provenance:
Purchased from the Stack's Bowers April 2026 Hong Kong Showcase Auction Lot #49549

Auction Description:
BOLIVIA. Cob Real, 1687-P VR. Potosi Mint. Charles II. PCGS Genuine--Chopmark, Fine Details.

KM-23; Murphy-Not listed. Weight: 2.32 gms. Numerous small size incuse and in relief Chinese chops including, "王" (Wang) in relief, "兴" (Xing) incuse, "十" (Shi) incuse, "卐" (Wan) incuse, "山" (Shan) incuse. This handsome little minor displays rich mottled slate patina with brighter coloration on the high points. A charming small silver coin with a wholesome appearance.

Provenance: From the Edgar Murphy Collection.

1710-L H Lima, Peru 8 Reales cob, Philip V type (Ex. Richard August)

Specifications:
27.0674 g, .9310 fine silver, .8102 troy oz (actual silver weight), this specimen 27.05 g.
Recorded mintage: unknown
Catalog reference: KM 34, Cal 1283

Details: The 1710 Lima issue was struck during the early years of Philip V’s reign, a period shaped by the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714) and the transition from Habsburg to Bourbon rule. Despite political upheaval in Europe, silver production in Peru remained essential to imperial finance, and the Lima mint continued to strike large silver coins for circulation and export.

Design-wise, the type carries the familiar Spanish imperial motifs: one side shows a Jerusalem cross with castles and lions in the quarters (Castile & León), and the other has the Pillars of Hercules with the motto PLV/SVL/TRA (Plus Ultra) between them, usually accompanied somewhere on the flan by the date (1710), value (8), mintmark L, and assayer H, though any given example may only show some of these due to the irregular planchet and strike.

This pillars and waves type is relatively scarce with chopmarks. Lima 8 reales entered Asian circulation through multiple channels, including Atlantic shipment to Europe and re-export, as well as Pacific movement via Panama, Mexico, and onward to Manila and Chinese trade ports.

Notable chopmarks:

Possibly 木 - mù - tree, wood, Japanese Kanji radical 75

千 - qiān - thousand

Small unknown chopmark

Provenance:
Richard August Collection - Stack's Bowers October 2025 World Collectors Choice Online Auction - Session 5 - Latin America Coinage Lot #74609

Auction Description:
PERU. Cob 8 Reales, 1710-L H. Lima Mint. Philip V. PCGS Genuine--Chopmark, EF Details.
KM-34; Cal-1283. Weight: 27.05 gms.
Estimate: $200 - $300.
Provenance: From the Richard August Collection.

As noted by Stack's: Richard August was well known as a numismatist and was a fixture at shows all over the country for decades, particularly those in his native New England. Beyond his life in coins (a full-time passion since before he attended the University of Virginia in the late 1950s), Dick was a high-level math teacher and tutor, a distance runner and running coach, and a passionate practitioner of hobbies ranging from gardening to fish husbandry to shooting (he competed on the rifle team at UVa). His remarkable memory and knowledge base, as deep as it was broad, impressed his numismatic colleagues, but the collection his expertise allowed him to amass impressed his friends and rivals as well.
...
His world coin holdings are extensive, with particularly notable collections from Latin America and the British Isles. Focused on the era of American colonization, roughly 1492 to 1830, Dick’s collection comprised impressive date runs of coins in every collectible denomination of copper and silver, with some gold highlights as well. His coins of the British Isles are notable for their quality; selections focused on 17th century coins of England, Ireland, and Scotland will be offered in the January 2025 NYINC sale.

1731-L N Lima, Peru 4 Reales cob, Philip V type (Ex. Daniel Sedwick / Pat Johnson)

Specifications: 13.54 g, .917 fine silver, .399 troy oz (actual silver weight), this specimen 13.10 g.
Recorded mintage: unknown
Catalog reference: KM 33a, Cal 1044

Details:
This 1731 Peru 4 reales cob is a particularly appealing example from the Lima mint, struck on an irregular hammered planchet, just before the broader Bourbon-era move toward more standardized coinage. It’s also a very clearly attributable assayer-period coin: the “N” assayer mark on 1731 Lima pieces is commonly recorded as Joaquín Negrón y Colmenares, giving the coin a documentable place in the mint’s chronology.

In the 1700s, silver struck at Lima reached China through the same Pacific routes used by Mexican coinage. Peruvian silver moved north within the Spanish Empire into New Spain, where it was consolidated and shipped from Acapulco to Manila. From there it entered Chinese commercial networks through South China, particularly Fujian and Guangdong. Although Mexican issues made up the bulk of this trade, Peruvian silver circulated alongside the more pervasive Mexican cobs.

Obverse: Cross of Jerusalem, lions and castles in quarters
Obverse Legend: PHILIPPVS V D • G • HISPANIA
Reverse: Pillars, PLVS VLTRA and date between

Notable chopmarks:

宁 - níng - peaceful, rather

兀 - wù - cut off feet, towering

成 - chéng - accomplish, become, complete

未 - wèi - not yet, 8th earthly branch

元 - yuán - dollar, unit of currency, basic, primary

Provenance:
Pat Johnson Collection - Stack's Bowers November 2022 World Collectors Choice Online Auction Lot #72049

Auction Description:
PERU. Cob 4 Reales, 1731-L. Lima Mint; Assayer Joaquin Negron y Colmenares (N). Philip V.
KM-33A; Cal-1044. Weight: 13.10 gms. This intriguing Lima cob is covered with an array of chop marks, hinting at its circulation in East Asia. Among the wide variety of markings, the Chinese characters "ning" and "yuan" are quite clear. The merchants were kind enough to leave most of the coin's original details undisturbed, and so the denomination, date, and portions of the mintmark and assayer's initial are all visible. A handsome piece brimming with historical interest.

Ex. Daniel Sedwick (private purchase noted in above Stack's sale)

Later from the May 2024 Sedwick Treasure, World, U.S. Coin & Paper Money Auction 35 Lot #824

Auction Description:
PERU, Lima, cob 4 reales, 1731 N, with chopmarks from circulation in Asia, rare, PCGS VF details / chop mark, ex-Pat Johnson (stated on label). S-L21; KM-33A; Cal-1044. 13.10 grams. Full pillars with bold full date and clear assayer despite the presence of as many as a dozen bold chopmarks, including the Chinese characters "yuan" and "ning," the cross nearly full and sporting several more chops, some black toning and traces of surface oxidation, only the third example we can trace of this rare date that was missing in Sellschopp. Pedigreed to the Pat Johnson Collection (Stack's Bowers auction of November 2022, lot 72049).

Pat Johnson was a long time coin dealer out of Houston, Texas.

1732-Mo F Mexico 2 Reales Philip V type (Ex. Patterson)

1734/3-Mo MF Mexico 4 Reales Philip V type (Ex. Long / Gray)

Specifications:
13.54 g, .917 fine silver, .399 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: unknown
Catalog reference: KM 95

Details:
1734/3 Mexico 4 Reales, Mexico City mint, 13.54g, .917 fine silver, mintage for this mint and date not recorded. This coin is part of the milled “pillar” coinage introduced at the Mexico City mint in 1732 and struck through 1771. The obverse features the Pillars of Hercules rising from the sea, flanking two hemispheres beneath a crown, with the motto PLUS ULTRA and the legend VTRAQUE VNUM (“Both Are One”) above. The date and mintmark appear outside the lower portion of the design. The reverse bears the crowned royal coat of arms of Spain, with the denomination and assayer initials MF in the fields, surrounded by the legend D.G. HISPAN ET IND REX (By the Grace of God, King of Spain and the Indies). The milled edge with repeating ornamentation reflects the anti-clipping measures adopted with this reform coinage.

Struck during the later reign of Philip V, this issue belongs to Spain’s early eighteenth-century effort to standardize colonial silver production following the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714). Beginning in 1732, the introduction of milled pillar coinage at the Mexico City mint replaced irregular hammered cobs with coins of consistent diameter, thickness, and edge treatment. These changes improved uniformity of weight, reduced opportunities for clipping, and made routine visual inspection more reliable in everyday transactions. The reform did not alter the prevailing practice of valuing silver by weight, but it did streamline handling and accounting for Spanish American silver in both domestic circulation and long-distance trade. Silver for this issue was drawn primarily from central New Spain mining districts such as Zacatecas and Guanajuato, which remained the principal sources feeding Spain’s Atlantic remittances and Pacific trade flows.

The pillar 4 reales type is not extremely rare with chopmarks, although minor denomination pillars from Mexico with chopmarks are considered semi-scarce in general. Many millions of this type most plausibly entered southern China through the Manila galleon trade connecting Acapulco and Manila, followed by redistribution through regional Asian trade networks into Canton and other treaty ports.

Notable chopmarks:

仁 - rén - benevolence, humanity, kernel

宝 - bǎo - treasure, precious

Provenance:
From the David Gray Collection.

Stack's Bowers Winter 2014 Baltimore Lot #11265

Auction Description:
MEXICO. 4 Reales, 1734/3-MoMF. Philip V (1700-46). NGC VF Details--Chopmarked, Damaged.
KM-94; Cal-type-179#1046; Gil-M-4-6a. Erroneous slab tag attributes this as an 8 Reales.
Multiple chopmarks present, toned.
Estimate: $200 - $300.
NGC VF Details--Chopmarked, Damaged.
Provenance: From the David Gray Collection. Ex: Richard Long Sale #92 Lot #439 May 29, 2003.

Ex: Richard Long Sale #92 Lot #439 May 29, 2003

David Gray was a specialist in Mexican coins who focused primarily on the transitional years of 1732-34, where the coins transitioned from the crude cob types to klippe types, to the famous and popular milled Pillar type.

1734/3-Mo MF Mexico 8 Reales Philip V type (Ex. Gray)

1734 Netherlands West Friesland Scheepjesschelling (6 Stuivers) (Ex. Bridges)

Specifications:
4.9500 g, 0.5830 fine silver, 0.0928 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: unknown
Catalog reference: KM 102.2

Details:
The 1734 West Friesland Scheepjesschelling (6 stuivers) is a small but historically powerful silver coin from the Dutch Republic’s maritime golden age. Issued by the province of West Friesland, the coin belongs to the long-running scheepjes (“little ship”) series, named for the sailing ship depicted on the obverse, a deliberate symbol of Dutch commercial power and seaborne trade. In the early 18th century, these 6-stuiver pieces functioned as practical small change at home, but more importantly they were part of the export-oriented silver coinage that supported Dutch overseas commerce at a time when the Netherlands was one of the world’s premier trading nations.

The wider historical backdrop is the Dutch East India Company (VOC), whose Asia-centered trade network stretched from the Cape of Good Hope to Batavia, Ceylon, Taiwan, and the Chinese coast. The VOC required enormous quantities of silver to purchase Asian goods, especially textiles, spices, tea, and porcelain, and it drew that silver not only from large crowns and dollars, but also from smaller fractional coins like the scheepjesschelling, which were convenient for everyday transactions in Asian ports. Though modest in value, these coins traveled vast distances aboard VOC ships, circulating far beyond Europe and often remaining in use long after they left Dutch hands.

The obverse design shows the crowned arms of West Friesland, which divide value (6 S). The obverse Legend reads "MO NO ORDIN WESTFR(IESIAE), followed by date and mintmark. Unabridged this is "Moneta nova ordinum Hollandiae et West Friesiae" which translates to "New coinage of the state of Holland and West Friesland". The reverse design shows a sailing ship, and reverse legend reads "DEVS : FORTITUDO : ET : SPES : NOSTRA", which translates to "God is our strength and hope".

It's a bit puzzling that these coins are so rare with chopmarks, one might think they traveled to China and likely were used extensively in trade. Survivors with chopmarks are quite scarce, possibly due to the smaller size and thinness. The combination of Dutch maritime iconography and Chinese merchant stamps makes these pieces especially interesting, illustrating on a single small coin how deeply interconnected global trade had become by the 18th century.

(Update with the shroff handbook "ocean ship" picture and discuss.)

Notable chopmarks:

昌 - chāng - prosperous, flourishing

禾 - hé - grain, cereal

Possibly a fancy version of 币 - bì - currency, coin

Provenance:
Sold as part of a group lot at the 17 April 2024 Noonan's Mayfair World Coin Auction Lot #1114

Auction Description (for 12 coin lot):
Netherlands East Indies, Westfriesland, 6 Stuivers (2), 1678, 1734, latter with Chinese chopmarks; together with other issues from Java, etc, in silver (3), copper (7) [12]. Varied state £40-£60

Previously from the Ivor Bridges Collection.

Ivor Bridges is a British collector who assembled his collection mainly from the 1950's through 1980's. Most of his coins were acquired from fellow members of the Bath & Bristol Numismatic Society, a club that is still active today.

1735-Mo MF Mexico 8 Reales with Edge Cut

1738 Dutch Colony Ducaton, United East India Company, Dordrecht Mint

Specifications:
32.7790 g, .9410 fine silver, .9917 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: 404,000
Catalog reference: KM 71

Details:
1738 Dutch Colony Ducaton, United East India Company, Dordrecht mint, 32.779g, .941 fine silver, with a smaller mintage of 404,000. The ducaton is a large, heavy silver denomination struck to a higher fineness than most contemporary trade dollars and belongs to a long-running type issued in the Dutch Republic from the late seventeenth through the eighteenth century. The “Silver Rider” ducaton features an armored knight on horseback with sword drawn, with a crowned provincial shield below; the reverse shows the crowned arms of the United Netherlands with lion supporters and the VOC monogram in a cartouche, with the legend CONCORDIA RES PARVAE CRESCUNT (Through unity, small things grow). The company's monogram logo was possibly the first globally recognized corporate logo. The logo consisted of a large captial V with an O on the left and a C on the right leg. It appeared on various items, such as cannons and coins.

This ducaton standard (at 32.779g, .941 fine) contained around 124% of the the Spanish pillar 8 reales standard. Rather than being a purely domestic Dutch coin, this VOC-marked ducaton was struck explicitly “for use of the East India Company” (IN USUM SOCIET(atis) IND(iae) ORIENT(alis)), as the legend states, aligning it with company payments and commerce tied to the Dutch overseas network. Within the broader ducaton series (first issued in 1659), the “silver rider” design became a recognizable international format, and VOC-monogram issues fall within a defined mid-18th-century emission window (1726–1751) associated with the Company’s operations.

Chopmarked examples are known, but rare, and the most direct path into southern China would have been through VOC shipping and settlement flows in Asia, particularly via Batavia and other Company ports, where foreign silver circulated alongside Spanish-American dollars in regional trade.

Pop for this coin: 1 at PCGS, 2 at NGC. Exceedingly rare date for this type.

Notable chopmarks:

古 - gǔ - ancient, old

Small, 'S' shaped chopmark, punched multiple times close together

Provenance:
From the Heritage June 2019 HKINF World Coins & Ancient Coins Signature Auction in Hong Kong #3074 Lot #30426

Auction Description:
Dutch Colony. United East India Company Ducaton 1738 AU Details (Chopmarked) NGC
Dordrecht mint, KM71, Dav-417, Scholten-27 (RRRR). Holland issue. Among the rarest dates for the VOC type and incredibly difficult to procure at the AU level, a lightly striated toning pattern visible around the figure of the rider while pilot-light blue tones cushion the devices on both the obverse and reverse. Only the third example of this year we have handled and the fourth to appear at auction in the past decade.
From the Seki Collection

I'm currently researching the Seki Collection to learn more about the collector and it's origin. The collection included an incredible number of high grade world trade coins, with potentially the finest selection of Netherland East Indies coinage extant.

Previously the Heritage January 2012 World Coin Non-Floor Session #3017, in Dallas,TX Lot #29437

1748/7-Mo MF Mexico 8 Reales Ferdinand VI type

Specifications:
27.07 g, .917 fine silver, .798 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: unknown
Catalog reference: KM 104.1

Details:
This coin belongs to the pillar (columnario) series struck at Mexico City from 1732 through 1771. The obverse displays the Pillars of Hercules rising from the sea and flanking two hemispheres beneath a crown, with the motto PLUS ULTRA and the legend VTRAQUE VNUM (“Both Are One”). The date and mintmark appear outside the lower portion of the design. The reverse bears the crowned royal coat of arms of Spain, with denomination and assayer initials MF in the fields, and the surrounding legend D.G. HISPAN ET IND REX (By the Grace of God, King of Spain and the Indies). The coin has a milled edge with repeating ornamentation consistent with Mexico City pillar issues of this period.

Struck during the reign of Ferdinand VI, this issue reflects continuity rather than change in Spanish colonial silver policy. Ferdinand VI ascended the throne in 1746, inheriting a stable monetary framework established under Philip V and maintained throughout the mid-eighteenth century. His reign is generally characterized by administrative consolidation and relative peace, allowing silver production in New Spain to proceed without major disruption. The continued striking of pillar coinage under Ferdinand VI underscores the maturity of the system by this date, with established minting practices, consistent specifications, and sustained output from central New Spain mining districts such as Zacatecas and Guanajuato.

By 1748, pillar 8 reales were common with chopmarks, reflecting its entrenched role as the primary foreign silver coin circulating in China during the eighteenth century. Coins of this type continued to flow into southern China via the Manila galleon trade linking Acapulco and Manila, followed by redistribution through regional Asian trade networks into Canton and other ports. The chopmarks on this coin are especially attractive, being well defined and evenly spaced.

Notable chopmarks:

伝 - chuán - transmit, pass on

合 - hé - combine, join, close, suit

天 - tiān - heaven, sky, day

手 - shǒu - hand

森 - sēn - forest, dense

用 - yòng - use, employ

Similar to 莦 - shāo - grass

Possibly 㾄 - dú or chóu - to blame, to grieve, sorrowful, sad and weary

Unknown chopmark

Provenance:
Purchased in a lot of 2 coins from the May 2023 Spink e-Auction of World & Ancient Coins (Auction 389) featuring The John C. Huntington Collection Lot #421

Auction Description:
South China Sea Trade. Pair of Chopmarked Spanish Colonial Mexico City mint 8 Reales. Pillar - Dos mundos types, 1748 Mo MF. A number of neatly applied raised character chops. Extremely Fine details; and Portrait type, 1801 Mo FM. A number of small incuse chops. About Fine details. (2)

John C. Huntington was a professor at Ohio State University for more than 40 years, receiving numerous distinctions for his work. He specialized in the Buddhist art and religious traditions of Asia, publishing widely and mentoring numerous graduate students in the field.

1750-Mo MF Mexico 8 Reales Ferdinand VI type

1759-G P Guatemala 8 Reales Ferdinand VI type

Specifications:
27.07 g, .917 fine silver, .798 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: unknown
Catalog reference: KM 18

Details:
This issue belongs to the Guatemala-mint pillar (columnario) 8 reales series struck from 1754 to 1771, a comparatively short production run within the broader pillar coinage.

During the mid-18th century, Guatemala’s silver supply was modest compared to the great mining centers of Mexico and Peru, and the Guatemala City mint functioned primarily as a regional coinage facility rather than a major producer. Much of the silver coined there was sourced from nearby Central American deposits or from bullion routed through the region, and output was correspondingly limited. As a result, Guatemala-mint 8 reales are much scarcer than their Mexican counterparts and are more associated with regional circulation and Pacific trade, vs. export to China.

In terms of chopmarked examples from Guatemala, all denominations are rare. In his book, Gullberg lists chopmarked 8 reales from Guatemala as "quite rare" with 11-25 known.

This coin is the epitome of what I strive for with this collection. High state of preservation, a few nice chops, with original and attractive surfaces. A one of a kind coin that I am proud to hold. Just two obverse and one reverse chop, all interesting and fairly well defined. One obverse drill mark exposes pure silver within.

Notable chopmarks:

鏱 - zhāng - surname

Possibly 乐 - (simplified form of 樂) lè - happy, joy, music

匡 - kuāng - correct, rectify, assist

Provenance:
Purchased from the January 2015 Heritage World and Ancient Coin Auction in Dallas Lot #35245

Auction Description:
Ferdinand VI Pillar Dollar of 8 Reales 1759 G-P XF Details (Chopmarked, Test Drilled) NGC
KM18. Guatemala City mint, assayer, "P". Nicely toned with a strong strike for the type.
From The Santa Maria Collection

The Santa Maria Collection is a named provenance associated with a series of notable world and Latin American coins that have appeared in major auction offerings, particularly those handled by Heritage Auction Galleries. Unfortunately, not much more is known about the collection or who formed it.

1761-LM JM Peru 1 Real Carolus III type (Ex. Murphy / Rose Plate Coin)

Specifications:
3.384 g, .9170 fine silver, .0998 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: unknown
Catalog reference: KM 61

Details:
The Lima mint began striking pillar coinage in 1751, nearly two decades after Mexico City introduced the type, and its production ran at a notably smaller scale than its Mexican counterpart. Peruvian pillars are considered more available than the scarce Guatemala, Bogotá, or Santiago issues, but they sit well behind Mexico in overall survival numbers. This 1761 1 real was struck five years into Charles III's reign, at a point when the colonial machinery of Bourbon Spain was operating at something close to peak efficiency: silver was flowing steadily from Potosí through Lima's mint, and the Viceroyalty of Peru was still the administrative heart of Spanish South America, its jurisdiction stretching from Panama to the southern tip of the continent.

The assayer initials JM stand for José Rodríguez Carassa and Manuel Iglesias Abarca, who shared the Lima assaying office through much of Charles III's reign, and whose joint mark appears on Lima coinage across multiple denominations during this period. The 1 real was the smallest standard denomination in the pillar series, weighing 3.38 grams at .917 fine silver, and saw heavy everyday use across the viceroyalty. This 1761 example sits near the end of the pillar type's production run at Lima: by 1772, Charles III would replace the globe-and-pillar design with the royal bust coinage that remained standard until the end of Spanish colonial rule.

Notable chopmarks:

Unknown chopmark

㫖 - (variant form of 旨) zhǐ - delicious, fine, imperial decree

Provenance:
Purchased from the Stack's Bowers April 2026 Hong Kong Showcase Auction Lot #49774

Auction Description:
PERU. Real, 1761-LIMA JM. Lima Mint. Charles III. PCGS Genuine--Chopmark, AU Details.

KM-61; Cal-344; Yonaka-L1-61; Murphy-Fig. 367 (Plate Coin); Rose-Fig. 79 (Plate Coin). Variety without dots above mintmark. One large size and one medium size incuse Chinese chops including, "上日" (Shang Ri), "ㅅㅇ" (Meaning unknown). This beautifully preserved example displays lovely rich old cabinet patina with much underlying luster that pops out when tilted in the light. The medium size chop is bold and easily read, while the larger character is somewhat obscured and difficult to fully identify. A handsome example of tough to locate date offering much originality and a pleasing appearance.

Provenance: From the Edgar Murphy Collection.

Ex: F. M. Rose Collection, featured as figure 79 on page 21 in his book "Chopmarks". Rose "Chopmarks" page 21, figure 79

1762-G P Guatemala 8 Reales Carolus III type

1762-M JP Spain 8 Reales

Specifications:
27.07 g, .903 fine silver, .7859 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: unknown
Catalog reference: KM 399.1

Details:
The 1762-M JP Spain 8 reales, struck at the Madrid mint, was intended primarily for domestic circulation, not for overseas trade. Unlike Spanish American 8 reales, which were produced in enormous quantities to support imperial commerce, Madrid issues were struck in far smaller numbers and were normally absorbed within Spain or nearby European markets. The presence of Chinese chopmarks on this type is therefore exceptional, as Spanish-mint 8 reales rarely entered Asian commerce in the first place. When encountered, chopmarks likely indicate an unusual history, secondary movement through European trade channels before reaching China, making chopmarked Madrid issues among the scarcer and more historically fascinating examples of Spanish silver in the China trade.

During the mid-18th century, Spain struck relatively few crown-sized silver coins, and metropolitan production of the 8 reales effectively ceased after 1736, not resuming until 1772, with the notable exception of the 1762 issue. Carlos III, who ascended the throne in late 1759, introduced a new royal coat of arms in 1761, the first major revision since 1700. This redesign incorporated the arms of the Italian houses of Farnese and Medici, reflecting Carlos’s earlier rule over Naples and Sicily. The 1762 8 reales and 8 escudos uniquely feature this new coat of arms on the obverse; it would not reappear on reales coinage and only later, in modified form, on the reverse of escudos beginning in 1771, making the 1762 issue a distinct and historically bounded type.

The 1762 royal arms are among the most complex ever used on Spanish coinage, visually expressing the breadth of Spanish dynastic influence. Arranged clockwise from the upper left are the arms of Aragon; Aragon-Sicily; Austria; Burgundy modern; the Medici balls at 3 o’clock; Brabant; Tyrol; Flanders; Burgundy ancient; and at 9 o’clock, the Farnese fleur-de-lis. At the center lie the quartered arms of Castile and León, with the pomegranate of Granada below and the fleur-de-lis of Anjou in the inescutcheon. The reverse simplifies this complexity, returning to the traditional arms of Castile and León alone, underscoring the ceremonial and political intent of the 1762 obverse design.

This issue was minted both at the Madrid and Sevilla mint. Possibly unique with chopmarks - this is the sole example I'm aware of, and other major chopmark collections are missing this type. It's unlikely this coin journeyed to Asia with many others, since this otherwise commmon coin is almost never found with chopmarks.

Notable chopmarks:

正 - zhèng - correct, straight, upright

Provenance:
Purchased from the Alliance Coin & Banknote Inc. Toronto Coin Expo Fall 2021 Sale Lot #76

Auction Description:
KM.399.1, PCGS AU Details with a single merchant chop-mark on reverse

Previously from The London Coinex Auction, September 28, 2005 by Spink & Son (Auction 5014), Lot #835

Auction Description:
Spain, Carlos III (1759-88), 8 Reales, 1762, Madrid, assayer JP, crowned shield dividing R/mintmark - 8/JP, rev. shield within roseace (Cay.11136; KM.399.1), Chinese chopmark on reverse, very fine Estimate £ 200-250. (sold for £260)

1764-MO MF Mexico 8 Reales Carlos III pillar type

1766 United East India Company Rupee, Java

Specifications:
13.150 g, .833 fine silver, .3522 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: unknown
Catalog reference: KM 175

Details:
The Dutch East India Company (VOC), founded in 1602 and active until 1799, was the first true multinational corporation and the dominant European commercial power in Asia for much of the 17th and 18th centuries. Formed by consolidating competing Dutch trading ventures and granted a monopoly by the States-General, the VOC operated as a shareholder company governed by the Heren XVII. From its headquarters in Amsterdam and its Asian capital at Batavia (modern Jakarta), the Company built a vast network of ports, warehouses, and fortresses across Southeast Asia, India, and beyond, trading in spices, tea, textiles, porcelain, and silver. Its reach and authority were so extensive that it exercised quasi-sovereign powers, including the right to wage war, administer territory, and issue coinage.

This 1766 VOC rupee from Java belongs to this highly developed colonial monetary system, struck to facilitate regional trade where local and Indian-style silver currencies were preferred. VOC rupees were not intended as purely Dutch coins, but as hybrid coinage, designed to be used within regional commerce. Their circulation extended well beyond Company settlements, passing through indigenous markets, ports, and merchant networks that were not under direct VOC control. As such, these coins often moved independently of their issuing authority once released into circulation.

The presence of two chopmarks on this rupee confirms that it entered Chinese or China-facing trade networks, where silver was evaluated and accepted through private merchant validation rather than by familiar type or denomination. Chopmarks on VOC rupees are a well-documented phenomenon and reflect the reality that Company coinage, like Spanish American silver, was absorbed into broader Asian bullion flows.

Notable chopmarks:

支 - zhī - branch, support, pay
(seen once on both obverse and reverse)

Provenance:
Purchased from the Stephen Album Sale #28 May 18-20 2017 Lot #947

Auction Description:
JAVA: AR rupee, 1766. KM-175. United East India Company issue with two small Chinese chopmarks, Fine, R.
Estimated Value $100 - 150.
It is likely that these unusual Chinese chopmarks were applied by local Chinese merchants.

1767 Netherland Ducaton Silver Rider, Gelderland Province

1778-S CF Spain 4 Reales Carlos III portrait type (Ex. Walls / Leverage)

"1780" Maria Theresa Thaler Restrike (early restrike 1780's-1900's) (Ex. Vandendriessche)

Specifications:
28.07 g, .833 fine silver, .752 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: a huge number of these were struck, upwards of 300 million
Catalog reference: KM 1866.2

Details:
The 1780 Maria Theresa thaler is one of the most prolific and widely circulated silver trade coins in history. First struck during the reign of Empress Maria Theresa and frozen with the date 1780 after her death, the type was produced in enormous quantities over more than a century. Official and semi-official restrikes were issued from the late 18th century well into the 19th and early 20th centuries, at mints across the Habsburg Empire and beyond, all adhering closely to the familiar design and silver standard. The coin became a preferred medium of exchange across Central Europe, the Middle East, East Africa, and parts of South Asia, valued for its consistent fabric and recognizability.

Despite its role as a global trade coin and its extraordinary mintage, Maria Theresa thalers are surprisingly uncommon with Chinese chopmarks. While some examples clearly did reach China-facing trade, as evidenced by chopmarked pieces, the type never achieved the same level of acceptance in China as Spanish American dollars or later Japanese and Mexican silver. It remains a mystery to me why these coins aren't common with chopmarks, as we would expect given the large production and far-reaching circulation and acceptance.

Notable chopmarks:

昌 - chāng - prosperous, flourishing

利 - lì - profit, benefit, advantage

丅 - (ancient version of 下) xià - below, down, under

暃 - fēi - sunset

復 - fù - return, repeat

興 - xīng - rise, prosper (incomplete punch or broken tool?)

木 - mù - tree, wood, Japanese Kanji radical 75

Provenance:
Ex. Jerome Vandendriessche Collection

Purchased from the Stephen Album Sale 26 September 2016 Lot #724

Auction Description:
Austrian Maria Theresa thaler dated 1780 (sic) with Chinese merchant chopmarks, ex Jerome Vandendriessche Collection.
Estimated Value$150 - 200.
This famous trade coin travelled the world, yet is seldom found with Chinese chops. With about 30 chops, many of them quite distinctive, this is surely the finenest known piece. From the Jerome Vandendriessche Collection which was formed 1950s to mid-1970s in Belgium.

1780 Netherland Ducaton "Silver Rider" Hollandia Province (Ex. Walls / Waddell)

1784 Fort Marlborough 2 Sukus, Sumatra, Indonesia, British East India Company, Calcutta Mint (Ex. Pridmore)

Specifications:
12.69 g silver
Recorded mintage: unknown
Catalog reference: KM 271, Pridmore-2

Details:
This 1784 Fort Marlborough 2 Sukus, struck at the Calcutta Mint for use in Sumatra, is a product of the British East India Company’s (EIC) short-lived experiment in localized colonial coinage. Fort Marlborough, established by the English in 1685 near modern Bengkulu (Benkoelen), served as Britain’s principal outpost on Sumatra’s west coast and a strategic counterweight to Dutch power in the region. The fort functioned primarily as a pepper-trading center, but chronic shortages of suitable small change made commerce difficult. To address this, the EIC authorized the striking of coins denominated in sukus, a locally understood unit of account, rather than attempting to force unfamiliar British denominations into circulation. The denomination of 2 sukus equaled 4 reales or a half Spanish milled dollar.

Minting of the Fort Marlborough sukus coinage was brief, it was struck for only two years - 1783 and 1784, and production ceased once the experiment proved inefficient and the fort itself declined in importance. Coins were struck in Calcutta, then shipped to Sumatra, reflecting both the absence of local minting infrastructure and the centralized control exercised by the EIC. These issues were never intended for wide imperial circulation; they were strictly regional utility coinage, designed to function in local markets alongside foreign silver and indigenous monetary practices. Their limited mintage and narrow circulation window make surviving examples historically significant, and rare.

The presence of a Chinese chopmark on a 2 Sukus piece is notable and suggests that the coin entered China-facing trade channels despite its local intent. Sumatra had long-standing commercial ties with Chinese merchants, particularly in pepper, tin, and regional trade goods, and Chinese traders were active along the Indonesian archipelago. It is plausible that the coin was accepted as bullion-weight silver rather than fiduciary currency, tested and validated by a Chinese merchant before being reused in settlement or exchange. Such a chopmark indicates that even specialized EIC colonial coinage could be drawn into broader Asian silver networks, where acceptance depended not on issuing authority, but on metal content and merchant trust.

Obverse (Arabic script):
(Uang kompeni) اواڠ كمفني
(Uang kompeni) دوا سوكو
(AH 1198) ١١٩٨

Obverse translation:
Company money
Two suku
AH 1198

Reverse:
2
FORT
MARLBRO
1784

This coin was pictured in The Chopmark News Volume 13, Issue 1 on page 13-12, under the title "Which ChopMarked Coins are Unique?"

Notable chopmarks:

金 - jīn - gold, metal, money

Provenance:
Stephen Album Rare Coins Auction 52, May 16 2025, Lot #1237

Auction Description: SUMATRA: AR 2 sukus (12.69g), Fort Marlbro, 1784//AH1198, KM-271, Prid-2, British East India Company issue struck at the Calcutta Mint for circulation in and around Fort Marlborough; some weakness, clear date, one small chopmark on the obverse (possibly Chinese), VF, RR, ex Solar Collection.
The denomination of 2 sukus equaled 4 reales or a half Spanish milled dollar. They were the last silver coins struck for this area. From then on they would rely on Spanish silver and the copper coins struck locally and at the Soho Mint in England. Fort Marlborough was the main fort in the Bencoolen Presidency and was a British possession in Sumatra based in the area of what is now Bengkulu City. In 1785 it was downgraded to Bencoolen Residency and placed under the Bengal Presidency. The British ceded Fort Marlborough and the City of Benculen (Bengkulu) to the Dutch as part of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824.

Previously from the Heritage Auctions January 2008 New York, NY Signature World Coin Auction #458, Lot #52523

Auction Description:
Fort Marlbro Silver 2 Sukus 1784 - AH1198, KM271, toned VF, one chop mark on the obverse, very scarce and popular type struck for this British settlement in the East Indies.

Previously from the Glendining & Co October 18-19, 1982 sale of The Pridmore Collection of the Coins of the British Commonwealth of Nations, Part II (in conjunction with A.H. Baldwin & Sons), Lot #208

Auction Description:
Fort Marlborough, 2-Sukus or Half-Dollar, 1784 (Pr. 2). One edge flat and chop mark on obverse, fine, the rarer date.

lot 208 auction listing

lot 208 auction plate

Major Fred S. Pridmore was one of the chief experts in British Commonwealth coins, authoring multiple books on the subject. His books were not reproductions from past works, rather they were meticulously researched original material. He exposed a large number of fakes and fantasies and he was one of the first to realise the historical importance of tokens. His numbering system is still used today for many British coins, including British Trade Dollars, and coins from his magnificent collection are prized by the next generation of collectors.

1785-Mo FM Mexico 2 Reales Carlos III portrait type (Ex. Kendall)

Specifications:
6.77 g, .903 fine silver, .196 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: unknown
Catalog reference: KM 88.2

Details:
Spanish 2 Reales from Mexico City, Charles III type. Nicely preserved with original toning and one obverse chopmark. By the 1780s, The Mexico city Mint was producing huge quantities of high-quality milled silver, driven by reforms under Carlos III that modernized mining, stabilized fineness, and ensured international trust in the coinage. Even small denominations like the 2 Reales were part of this vast monetary current, circulating locally in New Spain while also feeding export needs in the East.

Notable chopmarks:

小 - xiǎo - small, little, also Japanese kanji associated with children and elementary school

Provenance:
From the Henry P. Kendall Foundation Collection
Mr. Kendall purchased from dealer G. Hearn, March 3, 1966
Stack's Bowers March 2015 Baltimore Lot #2633

Auction Description:
Handsomely Toned and Countermarked Mexico City 1785 2 Reales
Mexico. 1785-Mo FM 2 Reales. Cal-type 141 #1352, KM-88.2a. AU Details--Chopmark (PCGS). Secure Holder.

Charles III (1759-1788). An early example of the silver portrait coinage that had replaced the pillar coinage beginning in 1772, though portrait gold coinage had been struck since the 1730's. Single chopmark of Asian origin at king's chin, otherwise a well struck example with good definition to the king's bust. Handsome medium toning with gold and orange hues over surfaces with good remaining luster.
From the Henry P. Kendall Foundation
Provenance: From the Henry P. Kendall Foundation Collection. Purchased from G. Hearn, March 3, 1966.

This auction included the original paper envelope from the 1966 sale.

Henry P. Kendall is considered one of the great American business leaders of the 20th century by the Harvard Business School, being instrumental in advancing the textile industry. He emphasized basic product research and the application of scientific management to all phases of manufacturing, purchasing and sales. His company was a major supplier of textiles for a variety of industrial and consumer uses, including Curity Diapers and Curad finger bandages.

1788-PTS PR Bolivia 8 Reales Carlos III portrait type

1791-PTS PR Bolivia 8 Reales Carlos IIII portrait type

Specifications:
27.067 g, .896 fine, .7797 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: unknown but slightly scarce
Catalog reference: KM 73

Details:
Struck in 1791 at Potosí, this 8 Reales belongs to the early portrait coinage of Carlos IIII, issued during the final decades of Spanish colonial silver production. The Potosí mint, long one of the principal sources of crown-sized silver coinage, continued to supply both regional commerce and international trade, with its dollars moving along established routes into circulation across Spanish America and beyond. By this period, the portrait-type coinage reflected an effort to maintain continuity and recognizability in design at a time when Spanish-American silver remained a familiar and widely trusted medium of exchange.

Around this time, the official standard for Spanish imperial silver was quietly reduced from .903 fine to .896, a modest but deliberate adjustment introduced as part of late eighteenth-century monetary reforms intended to increase mint revenue while preserving confidence in the coinage. The change reflected growing fiscal pressure on the Spanish crown after decades of costly wars and expanding imperial obligations, which increased the need to draw greater return from colonial silver production without disrupting circulation. By slightly lowering the fineness while leaving the coins’ weight and appearance unchanged, the crown was able to extend available bullion and increase seigniorage while maintaining the established trust placed in Spanish-American dollars in both local use and long-distance trade.

Notable chopmarks:

英 - yīng - flower, hero, Britain

Possibly 寕 - níng - peaceful, rather

Possibly 原 - yuán - source, original

盖 - gài - cover, lid

全 - quán - whole, complete, all

乎 - hū - particle, at, in

令 - lìng - order, command

六 - liù - six

仚 - xiān - to fly, immortal

利 - lì - profit, benefit, advantage

信 - xìn - trust, letter, believe

帀 - zā - to go around

禾 - hé - grain, cereal

䒶 - (variant of 天) tiān - heaven, sky, day

秴 - huó - grain

Possibly 俄 - é - suddenly, Russia

Provenance:
From Ben Dalgleish, a collector who finds chopmarked coins in the coin markets of Hong Kong, September 2021

1791-So DA Chile 2 Reales Carlos IIII legend, bust of Carlos III portrait type

Specifications:
6.767 g, .8960 fine, .1949 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: 54,000 (includes Carlos IV legend KM 37)
Catalog reference: KM 59

Details:
Struck in 1791 at Santiago, this Chilean 2 Reales belongs to a period when the Chile mint operated on a far smaller scale than the major silver-producing centers of Upper Peru, as evidenced by the tiny 54,000 mintage of this example. Established in the mid-eighteenth century to reduce dependence on coin shipments from Lima and to provide a stable supply of currency for local use, the Santiago mint converted limited regional silver production and imported bullion into circulating coinage intended primarily for everyday exchange. Smaller denominations such as the 2 Reales were essential in local markets, mining districts, and coastal trade, where reliable fractional silver had long been in short supply and where the needs of circulation differed from the large export-oriented output of mints such as Potosí. Coins of this type still might eventually enter Pacific trade through consolidation with larger payments moving north to Lima or Acapulco, where Spanish-American silver formed part of the bullion and coin shipments carried across the Pacific by the Manila galleons

This issue reflects an unusual circumstance created by the change of monarch from Carlos III to Carlos IIII in 1788. Although the legend was updated to name the new king, the portrait used on early issues continued to depict the earlier bust of Carlos III. The delay resulted from the practical realities of colonial minting, as new portrait models and dies required approval in Spain and time to reach distant mints, and smaller operations such as Santiago were less likely to suspend production while awaiting replacements. The result was a temporary mismatch in which the name of the reigning monarch appeared alongside the portrait of his predecessor.

Notable chopmarks:

禾 - hé - grain, cereal

克 - kè - overcome, gram, can

辛 - xīn - bitter, painful

峦 - luán - mountain range

Provenance:
Purchased on eBay in September 2017 from a seller in Colorado, United States

1791 Netherland Ducaton "Silver Rider" Zeeland Province

Specifications:
32.779 g, .941 fine silver, .991 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: 124,000
Catalog reference: KM 92

Details:
1791 Netherlands Ducaton “Silver Rider,” Zeeland Province mint, 32.78g, .941 fine silver, with a recorded mintage of 124,000 pieces, containing approx. 126% fine silver of the standard Spanish 8 Reales. The type was struck by several provinces of the Dutch Republic from the mid-seventeenth century through the late eighteenth century. The obverse depicts an armored knight riding right, holding a raised sword and a bundle of arrows, symbolizing defense and provincial unity, with the legend “MON : NOV : ARG : PRO : CON FOED : BELG : COM : ZEL .” (New silver coin of the Province of Zeeland of the United Provinces of the Netherlands). The reverse displays the crowned arms of Zeeland in an ornate cartouche: a central shield flanked by two rampant lions as supporters, with the motto “CONCORDIA RES PARVAE CRESCUNT” (With harmony small things grow).

By the late eighteenth century, the Dutch Republic was experiencing economic and political strain following the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War (1780–1784), yet Dutch silver coinage continued to be produced for both domestic circulation and overseas commerce. The ducaton originated as a large trade denomination during the height of Dutch maritime expansion, when Amsterdam functioned as a major clearing point for bullion arriving from Spanish American mines through European trade networks. Provincial issues such as Zeeland’s reflected the decentralized monetary structure of the Republic, in which individual provinces retained minting authority while maintaining broadly consistent weight standards.

This type is encountered with chopmarks but is far less common than Spanish-American dollars or later trade coinages. Examples that reached China likely traveled through Dutch East India Company shipping routes into Batavia and onward into South China trade ports, where heavier European silver coins were occasionally accepted alongside more familiar dollar-sized pieces. Chopmarked examples are considered relatively scarce.

Notable chopmarks:

支 - zhī - branch, support, pay
(partial chopmark, bottom portion missing)

Unknown symbol chopmark

Provenance:
Purchased from the November 2016 MPO Auctions (Netherlands) via Heritage Auctions Europe Sale 52 Lot #1555

Auction Description:
Zilveren Rijder 1791 (Delm. 1028 / CNM 2.49.58) met op VZ 2x Chinese chopmark - ZF

1792-LM IJ Peru 8 Reales Carlos IIII portrait type

Specifications:
27.07 g, .896 fine, .780 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: 4,661,000
Catalog reference: KM 97

Details:
By the final decades of the eighteenth century, silver production supplying the Lima Mint had begun to decline from the exceptionally high levels seen earlier in the colonial period. During the seventeenth century and early eighteenth century, large volumes of bullion from Upper Peru, especially the mines of Potosí, had supported sustained and heavy coinage output at Lima, which functioned as one of the principal mints serving the Pacific side of the Spanish Empire. By the 1780s and 1790s, however, ore quality in several major mining districts had diminished and production costs had increased, resulting in more irregular bullion deliveries to the mint. Coinage continued at substantial levels, but annual outputs were generally lower and less consistent than in earlier generations, reflecting broader shifts in Andean mining productivity and the growing administrative pressures facing late Bourbon colonial institutions in the years preceding the Spanish American wars of independence (1808–1826).

This coin displays many large chopmarks, with a small number of lighter marks sprinkled in. It illustrates the transitional period in chopmarking during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, when smaller, lightly applied marks became less common and were gradually replaced by larger, more deeply punched chops.

Notable chopmarks:

月 - yuè - moon, month

Small sunburst symbol chop

庙 - miào - temple, shrine

Symbol chopmark, possibly a stylized version of 亞

Unknown character, possibly 曺 but missing a stroke

Possibly 仑 - lún - logical order

Symbol chopmark, similar to a curly 'S'

Symbol chopmark

Probably 東 - (traditional form of 东) dōng - east

Unknown character chopmark

Chopmark shaped like a gourd

Similar to 束 - shù - bundle, bind, restrain

Symbol chopmark

在 - zài - at, in, exist

Unknown character, probably a cursive version of a common character

成 - chéng - accomplish, become, complete

Provenance:
From the Spink January 2024 Hong Kong Auction - Lot #3088

Auction Description:
Mexico and Portugal, a group of 2x, including, 1792 silver 8 reales and 1898 silver 1000 reis (400th Anniversary of the Discovery of India commemorative issue), (KM-109), (KM-539), 8 reales Good, chopmarked and bent; 1000 reis About Extremely Fine (2)

1792-S CN Spain 8 Reales Carlos IIII portrait type

Specifications:
27.07 g, .903 fine, .7859 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: unknown
Catalog reference: KM 432.2, Calbeto #769

Details:
The 1792 Spain 8 Reales, Seville mint, contains 27.064g, .903 fine, with an assayer mark CN. The obverse features a laureate portrait of Charles IV facing right, surrounded by the legend "CAROLUS IIII DEI GRATIA" (Charles IV, by the grace of God), with the date 1792 below the bust. The reverse displays a freestanding rendition of the arms of Castile and León contained within an armorial shield, a design unique to mainland Spanish issues that replaced the famed pillars and globes featured on colonial Spanish 8 Reales of the same period. The portrait type was introduced across the Spanish Empire in 1772 under Charles III, continuing a design standardization that would persist through multiple monarchs. The reverse legend reads "HISPAN ET IND REX" (King of Spain and the Indies), with the mintmark 'S' for Seville and the assayer's initials 'CN' flanking the shield. Unlike the colonial mints, mainland Spanish issues required no transitional types at the ascension of Charles IV in 1788, as dies could be implemented immediately.

Charles IV's reign (1788-1808) witnessed the formal closing of the Casa de Contratación in 1790, bringing mainland oversight of colonial trade to a conclusion after more than two centuries of operations. The portrait 8 Reales had been introduced in 1772 under the Bourbon Reforms of Charles III, part of a broader effort to standardize coinage across the Spanish Empire. The new portrait type also saw fineness reduced from .9167 (used for pillar 8 Reales since 1732) to .903 through secret decree, a reduction that remained in effect through Charles IV's reign. By the 1790s, Spanish silver production remained dominated by Mexican mints, which were responsible for approximately 80% of global silver output during the 18th century, while mainland Spanish mints produced primarily for domestic European consumption. Seville, once the sole legal port for American trade until 1680, had long since ceded that role to Cádiz as the Guadalquivir River silted up. The limited export of mainland Spanish coinage to Southeast Asia contrasted sharply with the flood of colonial Mexican and Peruvian issues that dominated Chinese commerce.

This type is rare with chopmarks. While colonial Spanish portrait 8 Reales became the most widely used trade coin in Chinese history, referred to as "Buddha head silver," mainland Spanish issues seldom reached China in significant numbers. The few examples that did likely arrived through direct trade channels available to Spain under the Canton System (1757-1842), during which Spain maintained access to both Canton and Portuguese Macau, as well as exclusive access to Amoy. The Charles IV 8 Reales of Spain is notably scarcer with chopmarks than contemporary portrait issues from Mexico, Peru, or Bolivia, though minor denominations of the same design are relatively more common than the crown-sized pieces.

Notable chopmarks:

合 - hé - combine, join, close, suit

信 - xìn - trust, letter, believe

Likely 義 - yì - righteousness, justice

友 - yǒu - friend, friendliness

釆 - biàn - distinguish

Unknown chopmark, combination of 大 and 丰

穴 - xué - cave, hole

This is a really strange looking chopmark, no clue what it means

稢 - (variant of 稶) yù - plentiful appearance of proso millet (a grass species used as a crop)

長 - cháng - long, length

Unknown chopmark

利 - lì - profit, benefit, advantage

This chopmark tool appears to be broken or rusted

束 - shù - bundle, bind, restrain

Provenance:
From the Heritage April 7-8 2024 Spring Hong Kong World Coins Showcase Auction #61369 - Lot #21816

Auction Description:
Charles IV 8 Reales 1792 S-CN Fine Details (Chopmarked) NGC, Seville mint, KM432.2, Cal-769. Featuring a variety of chopmarks on both faces, a true testament to the history that this piece has seen.

1793-M MF Spain 4 Reales Carlos IIII type

1794 Netherland 3 Gulden (60 Stuiver), West Friesland Province

1796 Netherlands East Indies 1 Rupee (Ex. Bowman / Murphy)

1800-So AJ Chile 8 Reales

Specifications:
27.067 g, .8960 fine silver, .7797 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: 184,000
Catalog reference: KM 51

Details:
The 1800 Chile 8 Reales, Santiago mint, contains 27.064g, .896 fine, with a recorded mintage of 184,000. The obverse features a laureate portrait of Charles IV facing right with the legend "CAROLUS IIII DEI GRATIA" (Charles IV, by the grace of God) and date below. The reverse displays the crowned Spanish arms between pillars, with "HISPAN ET IND REX" (King of Spain and the Indies), mintmark 'So', denomination '8R', and assayer initials 'AJ'. The .896 fineness reflects the 1785 reduction mandated across Spanish colonial mints from the .903 standard.

Chile was a minor source of precious metal compared to Mexico City, Lima, and Potosí. Following the devastating 1598 Mapuche uprising, which resulted in the loss of major gold-producing regions, the colony shifted to agriculture. While Chile's port of Arica served as a shipping hub for Bolivian silver from Potosí bound for Lima beginning around 1545, virtually no Chilean-produced metal from this early period reached China. Mining gradually returned during the 18th century, with silver production rising from 1,000 kg to 5,000 kg annually between 1700 and 1800. An 1805 enlargement of the Santiago mint allowed increased production under Ferdinand VII.

Chilean Portrait 8 Reales are scarce with chopmarks, orders of magnitude rarer than issues from prolific Latin American mints. No direct Chile-China trade route existed; Chilean coins likely reached Southeast Asia through Lima along with Peruvian silver, or via American merchants trading along the Pacific coast during their triangular routes between the United States, the Pacific Northwest, and Canton. A study by W.F. Spalding (prior to 1920) documented Chilean 8 Reales of Charles III and Charles IV in a Chinese bank's possession alongside more common Mexican, Peruvian, and Bolivian issues, confirming their presence in Chinese commerce despite limited circulation.

Many obverse and reverse chopmarks, with a chopmark obscuring the So mintmark.

Notable chopmarks:

Unknown Chinese character chopmark

Similar to 吞 - tūn - swallow, absorb, to drink

Unknown Chinese character chopmark

Possibly 㐋 - unknown character - possibly a Hanja / Korean word

Similar to 岙 - ào - mountain col

Provenance:
From Ben Dalgleish, a collector who finds chopmarked coins in the coin markets of Hong Kong, June 2023

1800-NG M Guatemala 8 Reales

Specifications:
27.067 g, .8960 fine silver, .7797 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: unknown
Catalog reference: KM 53

Details:
The 1800 Guatemala 8 Reales, Nueva Guatemala mint, contains 27.064g, .896 fine, with assayer mark M for Manuel Eusebio Sanchez (who served 1785 through the colonial period and into the Federation era). The obverse features a laureate portrait of Charles IV facing right with the legend "CAROLUS IIII DEI GRATIA" (Charles IV, by the grace of God) and date below. The reverse displays the crowned Spanish arms between the pillars of Hercules with "HISPAN ET IND REX" (King of Spain and the Indies), mintmark 'NG' for Nueva Guatemala, denomination '8R', and assayer initial 'M'. The .896 fineness reflects the secret 1786 reduction from .903 mandated across colonial mints. The mint relocated from Santiago (destroyed by earthquakes in 1773) to Guatemala City in 1776, with the mintmark changing from 'G' to 'NG' to reflect the new capital.

Guatemala was a relatively minor Spanish colonial silver producer lacking significant mineral wealth, with no mint established until Philip V's reign. The population of Santiago remained approximately 25,000 as late as 1770. While deficient in precious metals, Guatemala became valuable as a commercial hub given its geographic position near the center of Spanish New World holdings and its role as a supplementary trade route to the Manila Galleon exchange. Despite this advantageous position, the introduction of coinage overlapped with the final decades of the trans-Pacific galleon trade, which officially suspended in 1815 but had become practically extinct before the end of the 18th century.

Guatemala Portrait 8 Reales are semi-rare with chopmarks. A study by W.F. Spalding testing coin fineness in a Chinese bank (prior to 1920) notably excluded Guatemala 8 Reales while including those from Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, and even Chile. Despite Guatemala's supplementary role in the Manila Galleon network connecting Acapulco to the Philippines, few Guatemalan coins reached China compared to the flood of Mexican and Peruvian silver that dominated Chinese commerce. The type's rarity reflects both limited production and the decline of established Pacific trade routes during its period of issue.

One reverse chopmark, hidden neatly inside the details of the crown.

Notable chopmarks:

生 - shēng - life, birth, grow

Provenance:
Purchased from dealer Paul Brombal (Santa Barbara, CA) in February 2019 at the Spring Long Beach show

1804-L JP Peru 2 Reales Carlos IIII type

Specifications:
6.77 grams, .896 fine silver, .195 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: unknown
Catalog reference: KM 95

Details:
The 1804 Peru 2 Reales, Lima mint, contains 6.77g, .896 fine, with assayer marks JP (José Rodríguez Carasa & Patricio Nicolás de Ágreda). The obverse features a laureate portrait of Charles IV with "CAROLUS IIII DEI GRATIA" (Charles IV, by the grace of God) and date below. The reverse displays crowned Spanish arms between pillars with "HISPAN ET IND REX" (King of Spain and the Indies). Lima's Portrait 2 Reales are common with chopmarks among minor denominations, though substantially scarcer than Eight Reales equivalents.

Lima served as capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru from 1543, growing into one of the Americas' most populous cities by funneling Potosí silver through the port of Callao. Though never experiencing a production golden age comparable to Potosí or Mexico, Peru served as a continuous trade facilitator for centuries. The Bourbon Reforms' loss of Bolivian silver production and exclusive overseas trade access did not halt Lima's coinage, which continued unabated into Charles IV's reign. Despite these reforms, Lima's well-to-do remained heavily reliant on royal patronage, effectively quashing early independence sentiment that emerged elsewhere in Spanish America.

This coin bears a unique "Mo" chopmark, an imitation of the Mexico City mintmark, a rare phenomenon where shroffs replicated familiar mintmarks rather than applying Chinese characters. Such pseudo-mintmark chopmarks are fun curiosities, with examples documented on U.S. Trade Dollars as well. The practice likely originated from shroffs copying marks from the vast quantities of Mexican coinage flooding Chinese markets. In general, minor denominations are substantially scarcer with chopmarks than crowns, appearing much less frequently despite continuous production alongside Eight Reales.

I absolutely love the look of this coin.

Notable chopmarks:

Mo - Mexico City Mintmark

Provenance:
Purchased on eBay in March 2018 from a seller in Staten Island, New York.

1806 US Draped Bust Half Dollar

Specifications:
13.48 grams, .892 fine silver, .3866 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: 839,576
Catalog reference: KM 35

Details:
The 1806 Draped Bust half dollar (KM-35, variety O-119) represents an exceptional survival from early U.S. federal coinage and remains exceedingly rare when encountered with Chinese chopmarks. Struck at the Philadelphia Mint, this denomination was not produced for Asian export. The first American trade expedition to China departed in 1784 aboard the Empress of China, establishing direct U.S.-China commerce. According to contemporary British East India Company records from 1796, American merchants arrived in Canton bearing the new coinage of the fledgling nation, 1795 dollars, though observers erroneously described Liberty's portrait as George Washington. Chinese scholar Zhu Lian (1736-1820) documented in his Notes from the Bright Study the circulation of "silver coins with the phoenix" during his youth, which modern scholarship attributes to early American silver dollars. However, the American trading vessel Rapid, which wrecked off northwestern Australia en route from Boston to Canton in 1811 carrying an estimated 280,000 silver crowns, yielded only 13 U.S. silver dollars among the approximately 20,000 coins recovered during 1979-82 excavations, suggesting limited penetration of American federal coinage into the China trade compared to Spanish colonial issues.

Numismatist Arthur Wright observed that half dollars "seldom, if ever, found substantial demand in China" apart from the westernmost regions where such pieces traded at values approximating the Indian Rupee. An 1859 dispatch from the U.S. Legation at Shanghai documented Chinese merchant resistance to American silver: "The gold and silver coins of the United States are not much known in China; the latter are not taken readily from their inferiority in purity and weight, in the opinion of the natives, to the Mexican (coinage)." The presence of chopmarks on this specimen confirms its authentication within Chinese commercial practice as bullion-grade silver, making it a tangible artifact of the limited early penetration of U.S. federal coinage into Southeast Asian markets. Wright further noted that domestic Chinese equipment for testing smaller silver denominations reflected minimal demand for half-crown pieces, reinforcing their marginal role in the China trade.

The suspension loop affixed to this coin and dotted markings require interpretation beyond its function as commercial silver. Documentation from numismatic literature confirms that temple officials in remote mountainous regions of Szechuan and Tibet applied countermarks to silver coins as late as 1919, operating from religious centers that functioned as local government. The markings on this specific coin indicate association with 仙姑媽 (Xiān Gū Mā), a localized female deity venerated primarily in Fujian and Taiwan rather than the mainstream imperial pantheon. However, the broader protocols governing such votive offerings, including how foreign silver coins were selected for this purpose, the mechanisms by which valuable pieces were reclaimed after ceremonial use, and the geographic distribution of this practice, remain subjects requiring further study.

Such objects survive because they were never intended as permanent dedications. In practice, knowledgeable temple officials or priests understood that the offering’s ritual efficacy did not require the physical retention of the silver, and valuable pieces were often removed after the ceremony and re-entered circulation or private hands. This pragmatic reuse explains both the scarcity of intact talisman groups and their frequent composition from recognizable, high-silver trade coins, whose intrinsic value made them suitable for ritual display but also worth reclaiming afterward.

talisman_obv

Here’s a careful, line-by-line interpretation of the inscriptions on the British Trade Dollars in this talisman offering. Keep in mind this is ritual language, not a single coherent sentence. These inscriptions function as invocations and registrations, typical of talismanic objects rather than narrative text.

香火牌

“Incense-fire plaque” / “Votive tablet”

This identifies the object as a religious offering, formally registering incense and devotion rather than serving a monetary purpose.

山西天子

“Shanxi Heavenly Lord” (likely a regional or honorific title)

This is not a known imperial reference in this context. In talismanic usage, such titles often denote a localized or syncretic heavenly authority, possibly borrowed or adapted for ritual completeness rather than strict geography.

觀音佛組

“Guanyin Buddha Assembly”

An invocation of Guanyin (Avalokiteśvara) and associated bodhisattvas, anchoring the talisman in Buddhist compassion and protection.

伽藍天王

“Heavenly King of the Sangharama”

A Buddhist temple guardian deity (伽藍神), responsible for protecting monasteries, ritual spaces, and offerings.

仙姑媽

“Immortal Lady Mother (Xiān Gū Mā)”

The primary focus of the offering. As you noted, this is a regional demi-goddess worshipped mainly in Fujian and Taiwan, associated with localized protection and intercession rather than universal Buddhist authority.

福德正神

“God of Fortune and Virtue”

A formal title commonly associated with local earth gods (Tudi Gong) or prosperity deities. Its inclusion broadens the talisman’s protective and beneficent scope.

良嵩王

“King Liang Song” (almost certainly a local or syncretic spirit)

This does not correspond to a major canonical deity. Names like this are typical of regional spirit-kings or deified historical figures, included to reinforce local legitimacy and ritual completeness.

Taken together, this inscription is not meant to be read as prose, but as a stacked invocation calling upon Buddhist authority (Guanyin, temple guardians), local folk deities (Xiān Gū Mā, regional spirit-kings), and prosperity and protection gods (福德正神). This structure is typical of late Qing–Republican talismanic practice, especially in Fujian–Taiwan religious culture, where Buddhist, Daoist, and folk elements were freely combined. The text effectively registers the offering with multiple layers of divine oversight, maximizing protection, legitimacy, and ritual efficacy. In the context of a coin-based talisman offering, the inscription confirms that the coin was being used as a sacred object, not money; its silver content made it symbolically potent, while the text transformed it into a temporary devotional instrument, consistent with your observation that such offerings were often later reclaimed once the ritual purpose was fulfilled.

Notable chopmarks:

生 - shēng - life, birth, grow

Symbol chopmark

Provenance:
From Ben Dalgleish, a collector who finds chopmarked coins in the coin markets of Hong Kong, June 2023

1809-NG M Nueva Guatemala 8 Reales, Ferdinand VII Legend, Carlos IIII Portrait

1809 United States Capped Bust Half Dollar

1810-L JP Peru 8 Reales Ferdinand VII "Imaginary bust" type (Ex. Bowman)

Specifications:
27.07 g, .896 fine, .780 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: 4,380,000
Catalog reference: KM 106.2

Details:
Napoleon Bonaparte's forced abdication of Ferdinand VII in 1808 and installation of his brother Joseph on the Spanish throne created an immediate crisis for colonial mints: how to strike coins bearing Ferdinand VII's portrait when no proper dies existed in the Americas. With transatlantic communication and die shipments severely disrupted by the Napoleonic Wars, the mint at Lima, like its counterparts in Mexico and Chile, was forced to improvise a portrait based entirely on local engravers' imagination. The result was notoriously crude, a peculiar stylized bust that earned enduring nicknames including "Alien Head" due to its otherworldly appearance. Peru's response differed markedly from Guatemala's pragmatic solution of retaining Charles IV's portrait with updated legends, as seen above.

Under Viceroy José Fernando de Abascal y Sousa, Peru established itself as the most resolute Royalist bastion in the Americas, refusing to accept Napoleonic rule while actively suppressing independence movements and reclaiming silver-producing territories. The improvised portrait continued until proper portrait dies finally arrived from Spain around 1811-12. The "Imaginary Bust" type is much scarcer with chopmarks than standard Portrait coinage from Lima, mostly reflecting its brief production window during a period when global silver flows to China were in steep decline. Latin American independence movements disrupted mining operations and mint production across the Spanish colonies, while the Napoleonic Wars interfered with shipping routes and international commerce. British Foreign Office calculations from 1833 estimated that global silver production had fallen by nearly 50% in the 1810s compared to the 1790s, creating a "silver famine" in China that would persist for decades.

Notable chopmarks:

Symbol chopmark

占 - zhàn - divine, occupy, take

Similar to 氷 - bīng - ice

吉 - jí - auspicious, lucky

Symbol chopmark

A gourd shaped chopmark, a common symbol in Chinese culture and often seen chopmarked on coins

Possibly 工 - gōng - work, labor, skill

Possibly 乙 - yǐ - second, 2nd heavenly stem

Need to figure this one out

Symbol chopmark

士 - shì - scholar, gentleman, soldier

王 - wáng - king, ruler
or possibly
壬 - rén - 9th heavenly stem

Provenance:
From the Stack's Bowers November 2023 World Collectors Choice Auction - World Coins Part 2 Lot #74734
The lot was comprised of 2 coins, an 1820 Mexico 8 reales and this coin.

Auction Description:
MIXED LOTS. Duo of Spanish Colonial 8 Reales (2 Pieces), 1810 & 1820. Ferdinand VII. Both PCGS Certified.
1) PERU. 1810-L JP. Lima Mint. PCGS Genuine--Chopmark, VF Details. KM-106.2; Cal-1241. "Imaginary" Portrait type.
2) MEXICO. 1820-Mo JJ. Mexico City. PCGS Genuine--Chopmark, EF Details. KM-111; Cal-1336.
An interesting pairing of chopmarked crowns. Despite the multitude of chops visible, neither coin circulated excessively. Both offer plenty of detail along with attractive toning and even remnants of underlying luster.
Estimate: $100 - $200.

Ex J.D. Bowman, as described in the Chopmarked Collectors Club newsletter, Volume 2, Issue 2, July 1991, page 2-57. Bowman was an original contributor to the Chopmark Collectors Club newsletters, and assembled one of the finest chopmark collections of all time. Bowman worked closely with Santa Barbara coin dealer Paul Brombal, in fact J.D. credits Paul with "most all of my chops he got for me in Singapore, Hong Kong & Manilla over the years."

1811-M AI Spain 4 Reales with bust of Joseph Napoleon

1813-PTS J Argentina Rio De La Plata 8 Reales (Ex. Revd. Charles Campbell)

Specifications:
26.5 to 27.06 g, .850 to .896 fine, .7793 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: unknown, as records were most likely destroyed when the mint was recaptured by Spanish crown forces
Catalog reference: KM 5

Details:
The 1813-PTS J Argentina (Río de la Plata) 8 reales, KM-5, is a one-year type, struck only in 1813 following the capture of Potosí by revolutionary forces under Manuel Belgrano. By decree of the General Assembly in Buenos Aires on April 13, 1813, the mint was authorized to strike the first silver and gold coinage of the emerging Argentine state, with specifications dispatched to Potosí shortly thereafter. The earliest silver crowns reached Buenos Aires by July 28, 1813, and production continued only until November, when royalist forces retook the city. Later issues using related designs, 1815 (KM-14) and 1826–1837 (KM-20, struck at La Rioja), are more available, underscoring the brief and fragile circumstances of the 1813 emission.

Referring to an 1826 8 Reales from Argentina featured in Rose's Chopmarks, Gullberg writes "Rose speculated that a ship stopping for water and stores may have stopped in Buenos Aires where the coin was picked up. The coin was light as compared to the Carolus dollar (0.7793 oz. of pure silver vs. 0,7980 oz. of pure silver for the Carolus) but it was obviously accepted by more than one merchant. I know of only one other, which was sold in Taipei in September, 2006, making it a very rare coin chopmarked. One collector searched for twentyyears for an example never finding one. As it appeared in the shroff handbook many more examples must have made their way to Asia; many must have been melted into sycee in the nineteenth century. Taiwanese called the coin the "head with sun shadow" or the "long face"."

This coin was featured on the cover of the December 2017 issue of The Chopmark News. I need to confirm this with Colin, but this appears to be the third known example (one other also dated 1813). Quite rare with Chopmarks and nice original condition make this coin a very special part of this collection. This coin was featured on the cover of the Chopmark News journal, December 2017, vol. 21, issue 3.

Notable chopmarks:

瑶 - yáo - jade, precious over
合 - hé - combine, join, close, suit

正 - zhèng - correct, straight, upright

Provenance:
From the collection formed by the late Revd. Charles Campbell
Dix Noonan Webb, London, Coins and Historical Medals September 13-15 2017 Sale, Session 1, Lot #174

Auction Description:
World Coins, ARGENTINA, Rio de la Plata, 8 Réales, 1813j, Potosí (KM. 5). Chopmarks on reverse, otherwise about very fine £100-150

Reverend Charles Thomas Campbell (1902-83) first took an interest in numismatics in the late 1930s by studying the history of religion through the evidence of ancient coins. On such coins, symbols represent the dominant faith or the choice of the rulers. Surviving paperwork points to the fact that his collection was largely formed during the 1940s, with the London dealer Bert Seaby the principal source. Revd. Campbell's numismatic interests extended beyond the ancient world and on retirement he became well known around Boston, giving talks to local societies about his collection. As a subscriber to Spink's Numismatic Circular and Seaby's Coin & Medal Bulletin, he kept up-to-date annotations of listings of similar pieces to those in his collection whenever they passed through the trade and his original envelopes with this information are sold with his coins and medals. He passed away in 1983 leaving this fascinating and broad-ranging collection to his grandchildren and the collection has been unavailable for study since that time.

1813-So FJ Santiago, Chile 2 Reales

1813/2-P JF Colombia 8 Reales, Popayán mint, Ferdinand VII with Carlos IIII bust type

Specifications: 27.07 g, .917 fine, .798 troy oz (actual silver weight), although this coins weighs around 26g
Recorded mintage: Unknown
Catalog reference: KM 71

Details: The 1813/2-P JF (Juan Camilo Delgado / Francisco Mariano de Rada) Colombia 8 reales, struck at the Popayán mint, in what was known as "New Granada" at the time. It's a classic “transitional authority” issue - the coin names Ferdinand VII in the legend while retaining the Carlos IV bust, and the 1813/2 overdate reflects practical die reuse during a period of disruption. This coin represents the only attempt to strike portrait reales in Colombia during colonial times. It was issued from the Popayán mint from 1810-14, then again in 1816 and 1820. While other mints such as Mexico City and Santiago were using the standard bust of Ferdinand VII, Popayán persisted in continuing the bust of the abdicated Charles IV until the end of the colonial period, much later than other mints.

Popayán’s minting history is unusually turbulent even by colonial standards, authorized only after decades of local lobbying, it finally began coinage in 1758, was ordered closed in 1761, reopened in 1766–67, and then operated through repeated occupations during the independence wars before ultimate transfer and dismantling of equipment in the early 1820s. Popayán is better known for its gold output, and its milled silver crowns of this type are widely regarded as prohibitively rare.

Popayán 8 Reales are often described as “different,” likely due to a difference in silver content - specified at about .917 fine silver, whereas Mexico City portrait 8 reales of Carlos IV are commonly cited around .896 fine for the late reform period. A curious detail that may be more legend than truth, is that Popayán's silver coins were minted from the silver left over from the gold refining process (there were no large silver mines in Colombia at that time), which means that these coins may have a high percentage of gold in their composition. This claim should be tested with metallurgical analysis for confirmation.

For a "New Granada" silver dollar, the most defensible route to explain the Chinese chopmarks is indirect movement into broader Atlantic or Pacific specie streams (often via Caribbean ports and international merchants) and then onward into the established channels feeding southern China’s silver markets, rather than any Popayán/New Granada linkage directly to China.

This date is known in two obv varieties, a normal 1813 date and an 1813/2 overdate. It appears this is the latter. The normal 1813 date is very rare, maybe 2 known, and the overdate is around 8 known, or around 10 total known for the date.

Notable chopmarks:

仁 - rén - benevolence, humanity, kernel

Similar to 和 - hé - harmony, peace, and

Unknown chopmark

Probably 央 - yāng - center, middle

Likely 艮 or 良

Similar to 应 - yìng - to answer, to respond, to comply with, to deal or cope with

万 - wàn - ten thousand, myriad, also Japanese Kanji for various, many, all

Probably 崗 - gǎng - mound, lookout post, sentry, guard

怡 - yí - happy, joyful

Similar to 䄆 - huó or huàn - to worship, an institution, law, to perform rites in honor of gods

文 - wén - writing, literature, culture, (old) classifier for coins

Provenance: Purchased from Hong Kong dealer Mateo Zhao in April 2025. Mateo notes that this coin was found in Jiang Xi province, China in 2023.

1813 New South Wales 15 Pence / Dump

Specifications:
.903 fine silver (matching Spanish 8 Reales these were made from)
Recorded mintage: 39,910 (estimated)
Catalog reference: KM 1.1

Details:
When the colony of New South Wales was founded in 1788, there was an overall shortage of coins circulating. Most foreign coins including British, Dutch, Indian and Portuguese left the colony by way of trade with visiting merchant ships. The colonists were forced to barter, and a popular local rum became unofficial currency. The practice of using rum as a currency was prohibited by Governor Bligh in 1806, eventually culminating in the overthrow of the government with the "Rum Rebellion" in 1808.

To overcome this shortage of coins, Governor Lachlan Macquarie used Spanish dollars sent by the British government to produce suitable coins. For this purpose, 40,000 Spanish dollars arrived on November 26th, 1812 on the HMS Samarang from Madras, via the East India Company.

Included with the shipment were strict instructions to prevent the newly arrived coinage from leaving the country, so after consultation with the Judge Advocate and other officials, Governor Macquarie employed a convicted forger named William Henshall to cut the centers out of the coins and counterstamp them, making them useless outside the colony. The central plug (known as a dump) was valued at 15 pence (1 shilling, 3 pence), and was restruck with a new design (a crown on the obverse, the denomination on the reverse), while the holey dollar received an overstamp around the hole ("New South Wales 1813" on the obverse, "Five Shillings" on the reverse). This distinguished the coins as belonging to the colony of New South Wales, creating the first official currency produced specifically for circulation on the island. The combined nominal value of the holey dollar and the dump was 6 shillings, 3 pence, or 25% more than the value of a Spanish dollar, making it unprofitable to export the new coins from the colony.

The project to convert the 40,000 Spanish coins took over a year to complete. Of the 40,000 Spanish dollars imported, 39,910 holey dollars and 39,910 dumps were made, with the balance assumed to have been spoiled during the conversion process. On July 1, 1813 Governor Macquarie issued a proclamation that the new money shall be a legal Tender, also setting their value. The converted coins went into circulation in 1814.

From 1822, the government began to recall the coins and replace them with sterling coinage. By the time the holey dollar was finally demonetized in 1829, most of the 40,000 coins in circulation had been exchanged for legal tender and melted down into bullion. Experts estimate that only 350 holey dollars and 1500 dumps remain extant.

1813 New South Wales 15 Pence / Dump 1813 New South Wales 5 Shillings / Holey Dollar

Notable chopmarks:

土 - tǔ - earth, soil, land, Japanese radical 32

攻 - gōng - attack, study

Provenance:
From the Noble Auctions 121 sale 30 Jul–2 Aug 2019 in Sydney Australia Lot #1168

Auction Description:
NEW SOUTH WALES, fifteen pence or dump, 1813 (Mira dies A/1). Heavily worn, good/poor but cleaned, with Chinese chopmarks, one of only about four known. (with Chinese chopmarks)

1814-Ga MR Guadalajara, Mexico War for Independence 8 Reales

Specifications:
27.07 g, .903 fine silver, .780 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: unknown
Catalog reference: KM 111.3

Details:
The 1814-Ga MR (Manuel de la Rocha) Guadalajara 8 reales (KM-111.3) was struck during the height of Mexico’s War for Independence (1810–1821) at the Guadalajara mint, a facility established only a few years earlier in 1812 to serve western New Spain. The mint was created out of necessity, as insurgency, disrupted communications, and regional instability made reliance on Mexico City impractical. Operating under difficult wartime conditions and shifting political control, Guadalajara produced crown-size silver to sustain local commerce and military finance. Issues of this period are typically scarcer and more irregular than peacetime royal coinage, reflecting both the youth of the mint and the pressures under which it functioned.

The presence of Chinese chopmarks indicates that this insurgency-era crown later circulated as bullion silver within Asian trade networks, detached from its original political setting. Mexican 8 reales, regardless of mint or faction, continued to move west via established Pacific routes through Acapulco and Manila, where acceptance depended on metal content rather than legitimacy. Chopmarks on a Guadalajara independence issue highlight this neutrality of the silver market: although the coin was struck amid rebellion and contested authority, its silver ensured acceptance abroad. The piece thus records both the regional improvisation of wartime Mexico and the continued global reach of Mexican silver in the early 19th century.

Notable chopmarks:

天 - tiān - heaven, sky, day

大 - dà - big, great, large

同 - tóng - same, together, with

俐 - lì - clever, smart

矤 - shěn - arrow

R - — - Latin letter R (chopmark)

Provenance:
From the Tauler y Fau May 2018 Floor Auction #10 (Madrid, Spain) Lot #438

Auction Description:
8 reales. 1814. Guadalajara. MR. (Cal-438). Ag. 27,06 g. Resellos orientales. Raros sobre esta ceca. MBC.

1814 Spain 8 Reales, Cadiz mint, Ferdinand VII Type

1815-PTS PJ Bolivia 8 Reales Ferdinand VII draped bust type (Royalist issue during wartime)

Specifications:
27.07 g, .896 fine, .780 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: unknown
Catalog reference: KM 84

Details:
The 1815-PTS PJ Bolivia 8 reales (KM-84) was struck at the Potosí mint during a volatile phase of the South American wars of independence, when control of Upper Peru shifted repeatedly between Spanish royalist forces and patriot armies aligned with the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. From 1813 to 1815, the mint changed hands several times, disrupting production. In 1815, royalist forces regained and held Potosí long enough to resume organized operations, issuing a substantial quantity of crown-sized silver bearing the draped bust of Ferdinand VII, restored to the throne in 1814. Although minting resumed at scale, operations still reflected wartime realities, with pressures on bullion supply and administration. Even amid shifting political control in Upper Peru, Potosí 8 reales continued to move into established trade channels, as the evidenced by the chopmarks.

Notable chopmarks:

合 - hé - combine, join, close, suit

艺 - yì - skill, art or
芝 - zhī - sesame, glossy ganoderma

召 - zhào - summon, call

庶 - shù - numerous, many, common, ordinary, born by a concubine or illegitimate partner
Deeper explanation of this character: The Shù character is seldom used today, it means "lowborn citizen". It was only really used by nobles to describe everyone below them. Merchants were actually considered really low class, and would often earn enough money to buy their way into political office and become a noble themselves. One thought might be that the coin was stamped to indicate it was for use by the commoners. Another thought could be that it was an insult or inside joke to tease other merchants, but this is pure speculation. The synonym of Shù is 嫡, which means highborn - first child of the first wife. Since polygamy was a thing, the first wife would have all the true heirs, and the cocubines children were all of the Shù side. If you use the two words together, it can mean family tree, and how the wife and concubine family are separated.

圯 - yí - bridge

囝 - jiǎn - child

弓巳 - combination of 弓 - *gōng*, meaning "bow" (weapon) and 巳 - *sì* meaning "6th earthly branch" 弓巳 - combination of 弓 - gōng, meaning "bow" (weapon) and 巳 - sì meaning "6th earthly branch"

Provenance:
From the Ron Waddell Collection
Purchased from Ron via private sale in September 2016

1815-B Brazil 960 Reis over 1804-PTS PJ Bolivia 8 Reales (Ex. Goodman / Waddell)

Specifications:
26.89 g, .896 fine silver, .775 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: unknown
Catalog reference: KM 307

Details:
The 1815-B Brazil 960 Réis (KM-307), struck over an 1804-PTS PJ Bolivia 8 Reales, is an emergency overstrike produced at the Bahia mint during a pivotal moment in Brazilian monetary history. Following the transfer of the Portuguese royal court to Rio de Janeiro in 1808, Brazil became the administrative center of the Portuguese Empire, creating acute demand for large-denomination silver coinage. Lacking sufficient domestic silver and formal planchets, Brazilian authorities authorized the conversion of circulating foreign crowns, most commonly Spanish American 8 reales, into locally tariffed coinage. The 960 réis denomination was struck to meet this need, valued specifically for use within Brazil’s colonial accounting system rather than for international trade.

The 1815-B issue belongs to the most historically significant phase of this program. In 1815, Brazil was elevated from colony to Kingdom of Brazil, forming the United Kingdom o f Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves, and large-scale overstriking was undertaken to regularize the circulating silver stock. These overstrikes were often forceful and incomplete, leaving host-coin details visible beneath the Brazilian design, a deliberate and accepted consequence of expediency.

The Chinese chopmarks on this piece, hidden in the coat of arms, were applied after the Brazilian overstrike, a sequence made clear by their sharp, well-defined impressions, which would not survive a later restriking without distortion. This indicates that the 960 réis entered China-facing bullion circulation as a Brazilian coin, rather than merely as an earlier Spanish American crown. That distinction is important: it shows that Brazilian emergency silver, created for domestic necessity, could still move into long-distance trade networks where validation depended solely on metal. The chopmarks document merchant acceptance of the overstruck piece in its Brazilian form, providing direct evidence that early 19th-century Brazilian silver, even when struck over foreign hosts, participated in the same bullion economy that absorbed Spanish American dollars. To further this, Gullberg writes "The 960 Reis was 0.8960 fine giving an actual silver weight (ASW) of 0.7746 oz. of pure silver. Interestingly, the Brazilian 960 Reis appears in the Tawianese shroff handbook, proving that it did make it's way to Taiwan and China in the nineteenth century. The Taiwanese called it the "balloon silver.""

From Frank Rose's book "Chopmarks", page 14.:

"It is surprising that there is not a good supply of chopmarked 960 Reis of Elizondo's types 1 to 5. (Note: These are KM #'s-307, 313, 326, 368, 385). The overstruck 960's were a well known trade coin: and the silver value was certainly there. The 960 was one of the foreign coins that had legal tender status in the United States until the Act of 1857. If nothing else there should have been some carried from the U.S. by traders who threw in a few to top off a chest of silver. I have one chopmarked 960, but its chops are dubious: It is not shown."

Extremely rare with chopmarks, Gullberg estimates 2-5 known. Frank Rose owned one in his collection (but dubious chops, as stated above). It is surprising to me that this coin is shown in the shroff handbook, given they are so rarely found with chopmarks.

Notable chopmarks:

介 - jiè - between, introduce

Provenance:
From the Ron Waddell Collection
Purchased from Ron via private sale in June 2016

Ex. Superior Irving Goodman Sale June 2-4 1996, Lot #130

Auction Description:
BRAZIL. Joao as Regent. 960 Reis, 1815 (Bahia). Cr-94; Eliz-18: KM-307.1.
Perhaps the only Brazil coin we have noted with Chinese chop-marks. The Brazilians tried hard for over a decade to break into that lucrative trade market but were generally unsuccessful. About Uncirculated.

Featured as the plate coin in Gullberg's Chopmarked Coins - A History, p.40
Also featured in the Chopmark Collector's Club newsletter, Volume 6 No. 1, January 2000, pages 6-7.

1815-16 Zacatecas, Mexico War for Independence 2 Reales

1816-L JP Peru 4 Reales Ferdinand VII draped bust type (Ex. Kendall)

Specifications:
13.54 grams, .896 fine silver, .390 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: unknown
Catalog reference: KM 116

Details:
Spanish 4 Reales from Lima, Peru of Ferdinand VII type. This specimen is one of a series struck 1811-21 during the reign of Ferdinand VII (1808-33). As a class, colonial coinage of Peru is much less plentiful than that of Mexico, tho it is more available than the remaining mints. However, in his book "Pillars and Portraits" Harris noted finding about one-fourth as many Peruvian four reales of Charles IV as that of Mexico, so it is safe to say that this type is scarce. Assayer "JP" is noted for the years 1803-23.

Nicely preserved with some thick skin tone and one reverse chopmark. The portrait is notriously weakly struck with this type, especially from this mint.

Notable chopmarks:

益 - yì - benefit, increase

Provenance:
From the Henry P. Kendall Foundation Collection

Stack's Bowers March 2015 Baltimore Lot #2634

Purchased from London dealer Geoffery Hearn, March 3, 1966

Auction Description:
Peruvian 1816-L 8 Reales Chopmarked for Asian Circulation
Peru. 1816-L JP 8 Reales. Cal-type 209 #745, KM-116. VF Details--Chopmark (PCGS). Secure Holder.

Lightly struck, as common for this issue. One chopmark in center of reverse attesting to brief circulation in Asia as Spanish silver coins were the preferred medium of exchange in global trade at the time. Struck a mere five years before Peru officially declared its independence from the now declining Spanish Empire. Toned with underlying peripheral luster.
From the Henry P. Kendall Foundation
Provenance: From the Henry P. Kendall Foundation Collection. Purchased from G. Hearn, March 3, 1966.

This auction included the original paper envelope from the 1966 sale.

Henry P. Kendall is considered one of the great American business leaders of the 20th century by the Harvard Business School, being instrumental in advancing the textile industry. He emphasized basic product research and the application of scientific management to all phases of manufacturing, purchasing and sales. His company was a major supplier of textiles for a variety of industrial and consumer uses, including Curity Diapers and Curad finger bandages.

1816-M GJ Spain 8 Reales, Madrid mint, Ferdinand VII type

1817 Russia Alexander I Ruble

Specifications:
20.73 g, .868 fine silver, .5785 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: 11,775,000
Catalog reference: KM C130, Dav-281

Details:
The 1817 Russian ruble, struck under Alexander I (1801–1825), belongs to the standard imperial silver coinage of the early nineteenth century, issued in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars as Russia reaffirmed a stable silver-based currency. The type was struck for a number of consecutive years with a consistent design and monetary standard, primarily at the St. Petersburg mint, and was intended for domestic circulation and state payments rather than overseas trade. With a standard of approximately 20.73 grams of .868 fine silver, the ruble contained less total silver than a contemporary Spanish 8 reales, but remained substantial enough by weight to be readily assessed and accepted as bullion in markets accustomed to evaluating crown-sized foreign silver.

The 1817 Russian ruble (KM C130; Dav-281) employs the eagle-type design, with the crowned double-headed imperial eagle occupying the obverse, holding orb and scepter as symbols of imperial authority, with the date placed below. The reverse presents a crown above a multi-line Cyrillic inscription stating the denomination РУБЛЬ (“ruble”) and issue formula, enclosed within a laurel wreath tied at the base, with mint and official letters incorporated into the reverse layout.

Russian silver entered China through a distinct pathway from the maritime trade that carried Spanish American and later Mexican dollars to the southern ports. Overland commerce between Russia and Qing China was regulated through frontier exchange systems centered on Kyakhta and related routes, where silver functioned as a settlement medium in trade involving tea, furs, and manufactured goods. Within these networks, coins circulated by weight and assay, and unfamiliar foreign pieces were subject to testing before acceptance. While Russian rubles are documented in this context, they appear far less frequently than Spanish or colonial crowns, reflecting both the geographic limits of their distribution and the specialized nature of Sino-Russian trade.

Chopmarked Russian silver remains exceptionally rare in the numismatic record. In Chopmarked Coins – A History, Colin Gullberg records only two authenticated examples of chopmarked Russian coins, both from the F. M. Rose collection, underscoring how infrequently Russian imperial silver entered commercial environments where chopmarking was practiced. This rarity aligns with the fact that most rubles reaching China did so through controlled overland channels rather than open maritime bullion flows. An 1817 ruble bearing Chinese chopmarks represents an unusual intersection between Russian imperial coinage and Chinese merchant validation practices.

Notable chopmarks:

和 - hé - harmony, peace, and

Partial chopmark, tough to decipher without the missing pieces

吉 - jí - auspicious, lucky

Provenance:
From Ben Dalgleish, a collector who finds chopmarked coins in the coin markets of Hong Kong, March 2020

1818-MO JJ Mexico 8 Reales Ferdinand VII draped bust type

1818-MO JJ Mexico 8 Reales - shipwreck survivor

1818 Lima, Peru 8 Reales Ferdinand VII draped bust type

1819-NG M Guatemala 8 Reales Ferdinand VII draped bust type (Ex. Murphy)

Specifications:
27.07 g, .896 fine silver, .7797 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: unknown
Catalog reference: KM 69

Details:
By 1819, Spain's hold on its American colonies was unraveling. Ferdinand VII had been restored to the throne five years earlier following Napoleon's defeat, but the wars of independence that had spread across South America were creeping northward, and the Captaincy General of Guatemala, a territory stretching from the Yucatan to Costa Rica, was two years away from declaring its own independence. The Nueva Guatemala mint continued striking silver through this period, serving regional commerce in indigo, cacao, and trade goods that moved across Central America and into the broader Pacific network. The assayer initial M identifies the work of Manuel Eusebio Sanches, who held the position through much of the production run for this type.

The Nueva Guatemala mint was itself a product of catastrophe. The 1773 earthquake that destroyed Santiago de Guatemala, the original colonial capital, forced the relocation of the entire city to its present site, and the mint moved with it, reestablishing at the new location that gave these coins their NG mintmark. The 8 reales struck there circulated across the full breadth of the Captaincy General and beyond, and examples with chopmarks from Asian trade are only semi-scarce, a reminder that Spanish colonial silver from even the smaller provincial mints found its way into global commerce. Guatemalan issues of this period are quite a bit less common than their Mexican or Peruvian counterparts, reflecting the more modest scale of the mint's output.

Notable chopmarks:

信 - xìn - trust, letter, believe

Interlinked circles symbol chopmark

合 - hé - combine, join, close, suit

偹 - bèi - prepare, ready, perfect

Unknown chopmark

Circular flower shaped symbol chopmark

三 - san - three

㒷 - (variant form of 興) xìng - to prosper, to rise, to flourish

Unknown chopmark

Provenance:
Purchased from the Stack's Bowers April 2026 Hong Kong Showcase Auction Lot #49665

Auction Description:
GUATEMALA. 8 Reales, 1819-NG M. Nueva Guatemala Mint. Ferdinand VII. PCGS Genuine--Chopmark, VF Details.

KM-69; Cal-1234; Murphy-Fig. 208 (Plate Coin); Leverage-Fig. 98 (Plate Coin). Numerous medium size incuse Chinese and pseudo-Chinese chops on both sides, most are obscured due to overlap or other obstructions, but includes "三" (San), "了十" (Le Shi), "开" (Kai), "ↀ" (overlapping circles) as well as many others. This decently preserved example exhibits many mottled light gray and slate patina with remaining luster in the protected areas. A wholesome example with many interesting chops that need further study.

Provenance: From the Edgar Murphy Collection.

1821-Go JM Guanajuato, Mexico War for Independence 8 Reales (Ex. Bowman)

Specifications:
27.07 g, .903 fine silver, .786 troy oz (actual silver weight)
Recorded mintage: unknown
Catalog reference: KM 111.4

Details:
The 1821-Go JM (José Antonio Mucharraz) 8 reales is a late War for Independence royalist issue from the Guanajuato provisional mint, struck in one of New Spain’s richest mining districts at a moment when moving bullion and coin had become hazardous and irregular. As insurgency and bandits made overland transport to Mexico City dangerous , especially for mule-train silver, royalist authorities authorized provisional mints close to mining regions to keep coinage flowing locally and for military/state needs. In the specific case of Guanajuato, the mint is reported to have been established as a rebel facility by Hidalgo in 1810, while the first documented coinage is under Spanish colonial authority in 1812; and one source adds that operations were suspended in 1813 and reopened in 1821 as circumstances allowed.

By 1821, the year of the Plan of Iguala and the rapid unravelling of Spanish authority in Mexico, Guanajuato was striking 8 reales that still carried the familiar royal portrait and legends even as political control was shifting on the ground. That tension is part of the appeal of the date: it is coinage of the “old regime” produced at the exact moment the new one was forming, before new national designs could be fully organized and distributed. As a result, 1821 Guanajuato crowns read as true transitional artifacts, standard-weight dollars from a major silver center, minted under extraordinary conditions, and closely tied to the last workable months of Spain’s monetary system in Mexico.

Notable chopmarks:

击 - jī - strike, hit

万 - wàn - ten thousand, myriad, also Japanese Kanji for various, many, all

芳 - fāng - fragrant

倛 - qī - mask

Possibly 忋 - gǎi - to rely on, look up to

Gourd chopmark

Unknown, possibly Japanese chopmark

Unknown symbol chopmark

Possibly 䒩 - hé - a variety of grass

Unknown character combination

土 - tǔ - earth, soil, land, Japanese radical 32

Provenance:
From the Tauler y Fau May 2018 Floor Auction #10 (Madrid, Spain) Lot #440

Auction Description:
8 reales. 1821. Guanajuato. JM. (Cal-453). Ag. 26,32 g. Resellos orientales. Raros sobre esta ceca. EBC-.

Ex J.D. Bowman, as described in the Chopmarked Collectors Club newsletter, Volume 2, Issue 2, July 1991, page 2-58. Bowman was an original contributor to the Chopmark Collectors Club newsletters, and assembled one of the finest chopmark collections of all time. Bowman worked closely with Santa Barbara coin dealer Paul Brombal, in fact J.D. credits Paul with "most all of my chops he got for me in Singapore, Hong Kong & Manilla over the years."

1821 Princely States, Hyderabad India Rupee

Specifications:
Weight varies - 10.70-11.60 grams
Recorded mintage: unknown
Catalog reference: C# 48.1

Details:
The 1821 Hyderabad rupee (Princely State of Hyderabad, Asaf Jah III / Sikandar Jah, r. 1803–1829) is a typical early-19th-century Deccan silver rupee: a locally issued piece that nonetheless sits within the broader Indo-Islamic monetary tradition, often carrying Persian/Urdu legends and, in many cases, being struck in the name of the Mughal emperor Muhammad Akbar II as a formal convention even when real authority was regional. Hyderabad struck silver at more than one mint (notably Hyderabad and Aurangabad in this period), and dates are usually given in Hijri/regnal form, so a “1821” attribution commonly corresponds to AH 1236–1237 (circa 1821/22) rather than a Western date on the coin itself.

The marks on this coin are curious, they don't immediately appear to be of Chinese origin. Indian shroff marks and Chinese chopmarks can look superficially similar because they come from the same basic purpose, private verification of silver, but we are typically able to differentiate between the two. Shroff marks are often small test punches, sometimes simple geometric shapes, and can be concentrated in predictable areas (including edges) associated with local testing practice; Chinese chopmarks are typically more deliberate identity marks, often larger and more distinctive, intended to show that a merchant/banker had tested and accepted the piece. For an 1821 Hyderabad rupee, shroff marks are the higher-probability explanation if the punches look modest and “utility”-driven, since this coin would most naturally circulate in Indian and adjacent regional bullion markets. A true Chinese chopmark is possible, especially if the coin traveled through Southeast Asian ports with strong Chinese merchant communities, but it’s the less common outcome for Hyderabad rupees unless there’s corroborating context (Chinese characters, a recognizable chop style, or a broader group of China-validated pieces). Based on their appearance I would lean towards Indian shroff marks for this piece.

Notable chopmarks:

Shroff mark