British, Irish and Scottish Coins

Scotland, LANARKSHIRE, Dalzell, a France, Directoire, 5 Francs, AN 6a [1797/8], rev. countermarked payable at dalzell farm, 24.51g/6h (Manville 20, this coin listed). Coin fair to fine but edge partly smoothed and knocked, countermark about very fine £700-900

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Countermarked Dollars, Property of the late Lt.-Cdr W. E. McLaughlin.

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Provenance: W. Allen Collection, Spink Auction 34, 14-15 March 1984, lot 34 [from Wolfe, Greenock]; bt M.J. Dickinson October 1987.

The issuer was Archibald James Hamilton (1793-1834), who served as a Lieutenant in the 4th Dragoons in the Peninsula before retiring from the army on grounds of ill-health in 1816. In retirement he successfully farmed the Dalzell estates, paying workers with suitably countermarked 5-franc pieces he brought home from France in 1816. For much further background see Hodge, SNC October 2006, pp.265-7