>1843 - George Steuart & CO, Ceylon
Half Penny - Counter Marked

This English Half Penny is Counter Marked GS&CO by the firm of George Steuart & Co. merchants, bankers, estate and commission agents, was started in 1835, who issued these counter-marked tokens from 1843.
SPECIFICATIONS
Denomination6 pence
AlloyCopper
Diameter28. mm
Thickness1.? mm
Weight9.46 gms
ShapeRound
EdgePlain
DieAxis0°
 1855_gsco_cm_hp_obverse 1855_gsco_cm_hp_reverse
Lowsley #36 Pridmore #95

Obverse : Top-down 15 degree anticlockwise duplicate counterstamp GS&CO. Queen Bust at center to left VICTORIA DEI GRATIA along the periphery with the date 1855 below. Reverse : Indent of obverse Counter marks. Image of Brittanniar to right at center with trident and shield. Legend BRITTANNIAR: REG: FID: DEF: along periphery.

From 1843 Messrs Steuart countermarked (GS&CO) usually on both sides local copper coins. The English-struck stivers of 1802 and 1815 and halfpennies (1826-1859) were assigned a value for use at 6 pence and the half-farthings (1828-1856) was 4 ½ pence. No other firm in Ceylon adopted the system of countermarking as GS&CO

For more details see GS&Co. countermarked half-farthing token.

The VF grade counter-markedtowise on obverse 1855 half-penny from Mark Freehill collection of Ceylon tokens Noble.com.AU Auction 126, 2021 March 24th lot 1244(part 1/5) is displayed at 200 dpi