The Roehrs Collection of West Indies Cut and Countermarked Coins (Part I)

Edward Roehrs

As the pool reflects the image
and the punch transmits the countermark
so the collection reflects the collector
Edward Roehrs, 1975

The study and collecting of West Indian cut and countermarked coins has always been a challenge. There have been serious collectors since the mid 19th century, but these individuals tended to collect the series as a part of much larger collections and were content to go along with the attributions made by dealers and writers of the times.

The cut countermarked coins in gold and silver are generally rare. They came about over a relatively short period of time to solve very local problems. Once the need no longer existed for these plugged and cut up bits and pieces, subject to confusion and private larceny, they were generally eliminated as soon as possible via the melting pot. In a few instances minor cut pieces remained in circulation into the mid-19th century and in the British Virgin Islands, quite remarkably, almost right up to the beginning of the 20th century.

Authorising documents from island Councils and from contemporary sources are also rare. Over recent years much has been uncovered, but...