1783 Ephraim Brasher C/M on Portugal 1749 800R Dollar

Coin Details

Description

Among the most extraordinary countermarked coins in American numismatics, this piece pairs a Portuguese 1749 800 reis silver dollar with the hallmark of Ephraim Brasher — the New York goldsmith and assayer whose name is synonymous with early American gold coinage. Brasher applied his distinctive "EB" countermark to certify the precious metal content and commercial value of foreign coins circulating in the young American republic, where a patchwork of Spanish, Portuguese, British, and French coins served as everyday currency in the absence of a national mint. The host coin, a Portuguese 800 reis struck in gold, dates from the reign of João V and would have entered American commerce through Atlantic trade routes connecting Lisbon, the Caribbean, and the eastern seaboard. Brasher's countermark transformed the coin from an anonymous foreign piece into a trusted instrument of exchange backed by his professional reputation as an assayer. Cataloged as PCGS #502644 but unlisted in Whitman, this piece belongs to the Post-1776 States Coinage series (1776-1788) and stands as an extremely rare countermarked piece — one of only a small number of surviving examples documenting Brasher's assaying practice on foreign gold coinage. The edge retains its as-struck finish from the original Portuguese mint. Collectors of early American numismatics prize Brasher countermarked coins as tangible evidence of how the new nation's commerce functioned before the establishment of the United States Mint in 1792.

Rarity Notes

Extremely rare countermarked piece.

Cross References

Whitman unlisted