Turkey 10 paras with greek counterstamps

[Manzikert]

Further to saro's post, I have the following 10 paras with countermarks:

Turkey 10 para, 1277 yr. 4, cross in circle countermark, K-Θ/E-B in quarters. M&L GRK 10/11, c.1883-1893 (Thasos, village of Vourargo)
Turkey 10 para, 1277 yr. 1, obv. turkish word cmkd four times, rev. rosette countermarked in centre, M&L TRK 26/02 (var.); c.1880-1890 (Dardanelles area?)

Alan

[Figleaf]

Been thinking about why these small villages on obscure islands would have wanted to counterstamp coins. It seems to me that the best explanation is that they were chronically short of coins, since they were in a forgotten corner of the empire. The counterstamps served to keep coins on the island. This is not unlike the Caribbean islands, where counterstamps were used to keep Spanish silver in at a higher rate.

Another problem may be that the coins did indeed have a higher rate and the counterstamps were meant to keep unstamped coins out. However, that doesn't explain the "counter counterstamps" Mitchiner shows, as Mitchiner says they were re-validated. Still, Mitchiner also claims the coins had already been de-monetised when they were counterstamped.

Peter