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A POSSIBLE COLONIAL ERA GOLD COUNTERMARKED COIN
GL Countermark, on Brazil, John V (1706-1750), 6400 Reis, 1735, Rio, 14.09 g., laureate head right, rev. crowned arms in cartouche, holed and plugged at center, plug 10 mm in diameter and countermarked twice on reverse plug, G.L within serrated rectangle, points within indents, (KM 149 (host coin)), host coin nearly very fine, countermark, though weak in parts, nearly extremely fine
Details
GL Countermark, on Brazil, John V (1706-1750), 6400 Reis, 1735, Rio, 14.09 g., laureate head right, rev. crowned arms in cartouche, holed and plugged at center, plug 10 mm in diameter and countermarked twice on reverse plug, G.L within serrated rectangle, points within indents, (KM 149 (host coin)), host coin nearly very fine, countermark, though weak in parts, nearly extremely fine
Further details
Discovered recently with the aid of a metal detector in southeast Georgia, interestingly on a site along with coins and artifacts from the late Colonial period.
While this countermark has not been attributed for certain, one possibility is the Baltimore, MD silver and goldsmith Gabriel Lewyn who was active during the 1770's. Lewyn's known hallmarks consist of a rather plain GL within a simple rectangle, while the present hallmark shows a more intricate style - both letters having serifs within a serrated rectangle, with points between the indentations. Lewyn is the only American silver and goldsmith to use his initials GL as his hallmark; others with these initials use their first initial and their last name on their hallmarks. Lewyn is also known for apparently engraving the copper plates used for the printing of North Carolina colonial paper money dated April 2, 1776, and his initials appear on several varieties including the Seven Dollars and a Half, thus linking him with numismatics. While this evidence alone is not enough to attribute the present countermark to Lewyn, it is none the less intriguing. The possibility does of course exist that the countermark may be from the Caribbean or elsewhere in the New World.
While this countermark has not been attributed for certain, one possibility is the Baltimore, MD silver and goldsmith Gabriel Lewyn who was active during the 1770's. Lewyn's known hallmarks consist of a rather plain GL within a simple rectangle, while the present hallmark shows a more intricate style - both letters having serifs within a serrated rectangle, with points between the indentations. Lewyn is the only American silver and goldsmith to use his initials GL as his hallmark; others with these initials use their first initial and their last name on their hallmarks. Lewyn is also known for apparently engraving the copper plates used for the printing of North Carolina colonial paper money dated April 2, 1776, and his initials appear on several varieties including the Seven Dollars and a Half, thus linking him with numismatics. While this evidence alone is not enough to attribute the present countermark to Lewyn, it is none the less intriguing. The possibility does of course exist that the countermark may be from the Caribbean or elsewhere in the New World.