1/6 Ephraim Brasher C/M on 1718 GB 1/4G Dollar

Coin Details

Description

Bearing Ephraim Brasher's distinctive "EB" countermark on a 1718 British quarter guinea gold coin, this extremely rare piece documents the New York goldsmith's practice of assaying and certifying foreign gold coins for commercial circulation in the early American republic. The host coin — a quarter guinea struck during the reign of George I — was a small gold denomination that circulated widely in Atlantic commerce, and Brasher's countermark served as a guarantee of its gold content and fineness, transforming an anonymous foreign coin into a certified instrument of exchange. Unlisted in Whitman, this piece belongs to the Post-1776 States Coinage (1776-1788) series and represents one of the rarest categories of Brasher's numismatic legacy: countermarked foreign gold. While Brasher is best known for his iconic Doubloons, his countermarking activity on foreign coins arguably played a more significant economic role in daily commerce, as his professional certification allowed merchants and tradesmen to accept foreign gold with confidence in its value. The "1/6" in the title likely references the fractional relationship of this small gold coin to a larger monetary unit. Brasher operated from his shop on Cherry Street in lower Manhattan — the same street where George Washington would briefly reside as President — and his countermarks survive on a tiny number of foreign gold coins that constitute some of the most historically significant pieces in American numismatics.

Rarity Notes

Extremely rare countermarked piece.

Cross References

Whitman unlisted