World Coins with Personal Counterstamps 1780 to 1930

Thomas Fuller, the prolific English author, once said

Fools' names, like fools' faces, Are often seen in public places.

There is nothing quite as public as coinage, and some people (Fuller's fools) like to affix their initials on coins. It's an old-time graffiti.

Sure enough, there are collectors who enjoy these old pieces, and, because there is collector demand, the price of coins with personal counterstamps goes up. But it does not go up too far.

To be valuable, the coin itself must be old, certainly before 1930, and the older the better. Also, to be valuable, the counterstamp must come from the same time as the coin.

Most collectors consider personal counterstamps as damage, ruining the coin. But, if you go on eBay and search for coins with counterstamps, you will find they sell roughly like this:

Pre-1800: $10 to $20 US dollars retail price
Pre-1900: $5 to $15
Post-1900: $1 to $10

Of course, for coins made of precious metal, the silver or gold content sets the minimum value.
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