1887 IHC J.k. Counterstamp

Very interesting coin, MintedNotPrinted! I wonder why they didn't align the c/s with the obverse.

To my experience, the great majority of c/s's were produced for some utilitarian purpose. Placement of the stamp(s) would oftentimes be of no consideration; an example being that the purpose would be to simply test a punch. One of the many uses of c/s'd coins was as a marker to mark one's place in line, say at a shooting match or some other event.

Another aspect of counterstamps was the choice of a host coin. Cents were by far the most readily available hosts. I've found that sometimes, the c/s issuer purposely selected a specific date and/or denomination to suit his purpose; for instance, a birth year or patent year. Along this line, well worn coins were preferred host coins for some; this, as the stamp would appear more prominent on said coin's surface.

Perhaps, the 1887 date on the subject coin was significant, but we have no way of knowing. Judgimg from appearances, the doubled stamping evidences that this was a prepared, purposeful stamp; this, as opposed to individual letter punches. The isuer may have marked his tools or other possessions with his initials, perhaps?

@MintednotPrinted ... You might consider using this cent to start a set of c/s'd Indian cents. It took me about forty years to complete my set. Surprisingly, the last date I managed to acquire was a common 1908.