Important British and World Coins

Alloa, a contemporary base metal counterfeit of a Mexico, Charles IIII, 8 Reales, 1794fm, Mexico City, obv. countermarked payable at alloa colliery + around 5/ incuse, 25.71g/12h (Manville 5, and p.14, item q, this coin; D 67; Seaby ST 1). Coin about very fine, countermark good very fine, one of the best known specimens (£500-600)

Provenance:
Ponterio Auction (San Diego), 18-19 August 1989, lot 1414
A.T. Macmillan Collection [from Baldwin November 1992].

The Alloa colliery, owned by John Francis Erskine of Mar, was run by his mine superintendent, Alexander Bald (†1823). With one exception, all countermarked issues of this business that are extant occur on base metal counterfeits