Bryan C. asks: I have a Nova Scotia one penny token dated 1840. The name “G.P.Neill” is counterstamped across Queen Victoria’s face, which I assume was done to convert the penny to a merchant’s token. Does this counterstamp increase or decrease the coin’s value? Thanks.
It depends on who you are showing the coin to. Some collectors consider counterstamped coins to be mutilated coinage. I and others appreciate the fact that the coin, once counterstamped, has been transformed into another entity and consider that the counterstamp, at the least, does not detract from the coin’s value.
