Colombian Coins With Stamped Numbers

What proof is offered that these were tokens (and who issued them), rather than someone just taking a number punch to them?

There are many exonumia collectors, including some serious authors, who claim that, once a coin is stamped, it becomes a token and is no longer a coin, per se. IMHO, a stamped coin is still a coin and the stamping does not change the fact that it's still legal tender.




Note that number punches were used and not letter punches. IMHO, these counterstamped coins likely served as a token issue. I suspect that the numbers were stamped on the obverse so as not to overwrite the denomination. Many world coins were redenominated over the centuries by the application of a counterstamp/countermark. In the case of these low denomination coins, we can see that the number stamps were carefully centered. All this suggests that these pieces served a purpose ... a token-like purpose.

My initial guess is that these pieces were used as picker checks or work tallies. As a picker turned in his baskets, he would be given one of these tally tokens to be redeemed at the end of the day. Another possibility is that these may have been used as tool checks. Without more information, there's no way of knowing. On rare occasions, seemingly nebulous counterstamps like these have been attributed.

While I regard these numbered, maverick pieces as being of negligible value, they still speak to me.

@LUCHO70 ... Generally speaking, that's a good point about the font. However, there are 19th century punches that illustrate the use of simplistic block letters back then.

IMHO, lacking attribution, history, the subject pieces are worth well under $1 as a curiosity. From my perspective, $15 will buy many a coin/token that offers more historic and fair value in today's market than these do.