Official "Post A Counterstamp" Thread....

This is the complete set of states in the holder. This was a gift from my Son-in-laws father. This set was from Clayton Inc 1974. All the coins in this set are dated 1975.
A side note: In Alan Herbert's book "Official Price Guide to MINT ERRORS 7th Edition" he has a class IV-B-1 "Counterstamp and Countermark" and notes a Counterstamp is cut on BOTH sides, a Countermark ONE side.

Got this one in the Adam West-Batman era.

I've yet to determine the significance of this "three arrows" counterstamp. Judging from appearances, the host coin, an 1811/10 large cent, was well circulated before it was stamped. Worn coins were often chosen as hosts, as the stamping would then appear more prominent over the underlying coin design.

Not a find but if anyone finds a 2015 penny stamped with A & J with a heart, they are from my wedding last year. Since I collect coins, we counterstamped a couple hundred and used them as party favors. Asked guests to take 2, keep one and spend one. We still have some and when the wife and I are on vacations, we take them and spend them. I also throw a couple in each time I take coins back to the bank.

For Paola1's coin:




Looks to be an oil derrick with an oil pipeline running below it.

I love looking at these. I know they are just PMD to some, but to me there is a great story. I wonder if any were ever used to pass secret codes. Like that KGB one...

Having collected counterstamped coins, literally studying thousands of them, for well over thirty years now, I've found but one, possibly secret message. Compare the below two pieces ....






The Sage piece has long been thought to be a product of one Dr. Pierce of Buffalo, NY who sold various remedies under the pseudonym of Sage. While this attribution is quite likely, it's not as yet a slam dunk. Here's a revenue stamp that would have been applied to a bottle of bitters or some other remedy that connects Dr. Pierce to the Sage products.



There was a Dr. Medad S. Corey who was a contemporary of Dr. Pierce. Dr. Corey attended medical school in Buffalo where Dr. Ray Vaughan Pierce operated his business. Dr. Corey established his practice about fifty miles west of Buffalo. In researching Dr. Corey, I learned that he made and later patented an ointment for piles. Nearing retirement, he sold the patent to an Ohio firm in the 1880's. While I think it's probable that Medad issued this counterstamp, it's also not a slam dunk attribution.

In studying and comparing the two counterstamps, I was struck by the similarity of design, letter size and punch style. I'm virtually convinced that both logo punches were made by the same engraver or machinist. To my mind, this adds to the likelihood that Dr. Pierce and Dr. Medad S. Corey are the respective issuers of these counterstamps.

Now, for the hidden message .... In comparing the two counterstamp issues, I focused on the individual letters that both issues share .... S, E, C, N, Y, O and I. Being a longtime player of Scrabble, I rather quickly noted a secret, scrambled message .... YE COINS .... Serendipity!