Westkopp — Money Weights and Foreign Coin in Ireland. 69 



mint of Great Britain have been issued at the Bank of England and made 

 current therein at the rate of four shillings and ninepence British per dollar ; 

 and whereas it is expedient that such dollars so stamped should receive alike 

 currency in this kingdom; and whereas His Majesty's authority for the 

 purpose has been signified, we the Lord Lieutenant and Council of Ireland do 

 hereby publish and declare that the said Spanish dollars so stamped at His 

 Majesty's mint in Great Britain do pass as current money in this kingdom at 

 the rate of 5s. l\d. each dollar, and be taken in all payments to and from His 

 Majesty in this kingdom. 



" Counterfeiters of said dollars to suffer the penalties of the Act of the 8th 

 year of Queen Anne (Ireland), an Act to prevent the counterfeiting the 

 current coin in this kingdom." [" Dublin Gazette.") 



A proclamation by the Lord Lieutenant and Council dated October 19th, 

 1798. "Ordered that the Spanish dollars as current by the proclamation of 

 September 7th, 1797, be called in and not pass as current money in Ireland. 

 All dollars to be brought to the Bank of Ireland at the rate of 5s. l^d. during 

 twenty-one days from the date of the proclamation, and such dollars as are not 

 brought in said time, will after e.xpiration thereof pass current and be received 

 in payment at the rate of 4s. 10^. per each dollar." 



This first issue of Spanish dollars of Charles III and IV was stamped 

 with the bust of George III. The stamp was oval, similar to that struck on 

 sterling silver, and was stamped on the neck of the bust of the Spanish King 

 on the coins. 



In 1804, as it was found that these dollars were largely counterfeited, the 

 counterstamp was enlarged, and the bust of George III was placed in an 

 octagonal stamp, 



An Act of Parliament (44 George III, chap. 71) was passed to prevent 

 the counterfeiting of the Bank of England dollar tokens. These, together 

 with the counterstruck dollars, were largely counterfeited in various ways. 

 Some were forged by taking two genuine dollars, filing them down to about 

 the thickness of brown paper, then soldering the obverse and reverse to a 

 copper disc and plating the edge ; others were made of a disc of Sheffield 

 plate stamped out in a disc, while others again were base metal plated 

 and stamped. The counterfeiting appears to have been done chiefly in 

 Birmingham. See " Numismatic Circular " (Spink), September-October, 

 1915. 



As the Spanish dollars were still largely counterfeited, they were restruck 

 in 1804, and were slightly larger than the original dollars. Dies were 

 prepared by Mathew Bolton of Birmingham, the obverse with the head of 



