A FRENCH COUNTERMARK OF LOUIS XIII FOUND IN SRI LANKA
The E-Sylum (9/19/2010)
Book Content
I found a interesting French countermark of King Louis on a Dutch double Stuiver silver coin in a small hoard I obtained in Lanka. The French counter marked double Stuiver has an interesting history.
Jan Lingen of Netherlands wrote:
It is a French countermark, period of Louis XIII (1610-1643). Description: Oval countermark with a lily within in a dotted border. The countermark was applied in France to declare current a 1 sol or stuiver of 12 deniers for 15 deniers, against a payment of 2 deniers. Strangely enough such c/m's are found on double stuivers of Holland, Zeeland en Overijssel and some other Dutch coins.
Contemporary records mention complains, that for the sake of profit, also other than the accepted French coins were countermarked. This may explain that they are sometimes found on certain Dutch coins. Nevertheless it is surprising that a Dutch 2 Stuiver, countermarked in France, founds its way to India and from there to Ceylon. The c/m is on a 2 Stuiver of Holland. I got this info verified by the utmost expert of countermarks in the Netherlands and he fully agreed.
Ref.: Beranger, M., L'origine de la surfrappe d'une fleur de lis apposee sur differentes monnaies anterieures a 1640, Revue Numismatique 4.21 (1917-1918), Prochs Verbaux, seance 1918, page LXVIII.
If anyone has or have seen reported a French lily countermarked Dutch coin found in India please E-mail kavanr@yahoo.com .
For more information, see: coins.lakdiva.org/dh1670/161x_hol_2st_lily_cm.html .
The small hoard of 19 silver coins (1600-1669) is described in coins.lakdiva.org/dh1670/
The hoard included
- 9 Zeeland Double Stiuver (1614-1669) coins
- 7 Overijssel Double Stiuver coins
- a Double Stiuver coin from Holland with french countermark
- a Roosschelling of Holland coin
- a Portuguese Double Tanga GA-DS coin
The hoard is claimed to have been with a Lankan family for many generations.
1642 - 1649 - Portuguese Ceilão Silver - Double Tanga - D S