1887 Azores Countermarked Cool Coins
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Updated:
2/3/2026
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The Azores, an archipelago of nine islands and several very small islets of volcanic origin, are located on the Atlantic Ocean 740 miles (1,190 km) west of Cape de Roca, Portugal.
Countermarked Coins
Decree of June 14, 1871: the first decree ordained that the circulating Brazilian Patacas of 2,000 reis, including the fractions of 1,000, 500, and 200 reis, which at the time had a local value of 1,200, 600, 300, and 120
Portuguese reis respectively, were to be countermarked with a royal crown. These were eventually to be replaced or exchanged by current Portuguese coinage upon their
entry into the public treasury. This countermark is also known on copper coins and on various silver coins of other nations that were circulating at the time.
Decree of March 31, 1887: the second decree
ordained that all foreign silver and copper coinage circulating in the Azores was to be countermarked with a crowned G.P. (Governo Portugues) within a circle. These were eventually replaced or exchanged by current
Portuguese coinage upon their entry into the public treasury. The countermark for general use is found on an abundance of Portuguese, Brazilian and foreign issues. The largest crown or dollar size includes the Portuguese 1,000 reis, Brazilian 2,000 reis, obsolete 960
and 1,200 reis, Austrian Thaler, English five shilling or crown, Spanish American eight reales, and Spanish two escudos for comparison to the United States dollar. This
countermark has been heavily counterfeited and should be approached with caution.
The law of March 13, 1887 that ordered silver foreign coins to be counterstamped was intended to regulate the coin stock legalizing the good coin by placing the GP crowned counterstamp on said coins. This served
to improve confidence in the coin and as such, with the coin legalized through the counterstamp, it could now be used in government payments.
GP Crowned Counterstamp of the Azores
Some authors consider the existence of three slightly different impressions:
Type I - crown with rosettes topped by the cross.
Type II - crown with rosettes topped by the sphere.
Type III - crown without rosettes topped
by the sphere.
The first type is characterized by a thin traced circle with about 8.5 mm in diameter containing the letters GP, topped by a crown with five visible pearled arches and internally covered with rosettes in the form of a clover in a perfectly smooth and non-granular field.
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1887 Azores Countermarked Cool Coins
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