The counterstamps on Hafner 97 and Hafner 98 are commonly attributed to the Azores.

Hafner 97

The countermark on Hafner 97 is a crown with no text.

Literature references

• In an article in The Numismatist, March 1961, Gibbs associates the counterstamp on Hafner 97 with Mozambique, struck in 1871.
• Schulman, in his September 1956 and several later sales, also associates the crown counterstamp with Mozambique. Schulman distinguishes a small crown, used 1854, and a larger crown, used 1871.
• Brunk, World Countermarks on Medieval and Modern Coins, on page 345, associates the crown counterstamp with the Azores, and shows a picture of the counterstamp on an older (pre-1780) Maria Theresa Thaler.

  On Page 318, Brunk distinguishes the Azores counterstamp from a smaller crown counterstamp used in Mozambique in 1854. The Mozambique counterstamp was, according to Brunk, applied to copper coins.

  An article on page 282 in the same book refers to the 1871 counterstamp as follows:

  The Portugese Government by law of 14th June 1871 decreed that the islands of the Azores should countermark with a small crown the 2$, 1$, $500 and $200 silver coins of the Empire of Brazil which were already current in those islands and had full legal weight; after these formalities the coins were to be withdrawn from circulation and melted. This mark is sometimes also found on Brazilian coins of the colonial period.

• Krause-Mishler, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 19th Century, also associates the crown counterstamp on Hafner 97 with the Azores and refers to the June 1871 decree.

The association of the Hafner 97 counterstamp with the Azores is thus confirmed, despite early associations with Mozambique.

Sales

With one exception, Maria Theresa Thaler specimen with Hafner 97 counterstamp have been offered in coin auctions and sales starting with late 1968. All known sales in the 1968-1972 time frame were from the Browder collection.

Auction	Comments
Kreisberg - Schulman, Public Auction, Brand-Lichtenfels et al. Collections, March 18-21, 1964; Lot #997.	Attributed to Mozambique.
Kreisberg - Cohen, Mail bid sale, November 18, 1968; Lot #658.	Attributed to Mozambique.
Schulman, Frederico Diaz Lascano Collection et al, May 1969; Lot #726.	From Browder collection. Host coin is a post-1945 strike.
Schulman, Frederico Diaz Lascano Collection et al, May 1969; Lot #727.	With additional Mozambique counterstamp (Hafner 100). From Browder collection. Host coin is a post-1945 strike.
Kreisberg - Cohen, Mail bid sale, January 19, 1970; Lot #3070.	Attributed to Mozambique. Description says "large crown of Portugal center obverse". Likely similar to lot #1104 in the Schulman January 1971 sale.
Kreisberg - Cohen, Mail bid sale, June 29, 1970; Lot #715.	Attributed to Mozambique.
Schulman, May 1970, Lot #409.	With additional Nejd counterstamp. Host coin is post-1945 strike. From Browder collection.
Schulman, May 1970, Lot #510.	With additional Quaiti counterstamp (Hafner 109). Host coin is post-1945 strike. From Browder collection.
Schulman, Gibbs Part III, January 1971, Lot #1104.	Somewhat larger crown. From Browder collection.
Schulman, Gibbs Part III, January 1971, Lot #1105.	From Browder collection.
Schulman, Gibbs Part III, January 1971; Lot #1106.	With additional Mozambique counterstamp (Hafner 100). From Browder collection.
Schulman, Gibbs Part III, January 1971; Lot #1108.	With additional Azores counterstamp (Hafner 98). Attributed by Schulman to St. Thomas and Prince Islands. From Browder collection.
Schulman, Carl Orton Collection, February 1973; Lot #1305.	With additional Quaiti counterstamp (Hafner 109). From Browder collection.

Other Specimen

• A Maria Theresa Thaler with Hafner 97 counterstamp is displayed on the cover page of World Countermarks on Medieval and Modern Coins. Only the obverse of the coin is shown, so it is difficult to determine the exact strike date of the host coin; it appears to be a 1774 or 1775 Vienna strike.
• The host coin of the Hafner 97 specimen displayed in KM, Azores, KM#21.1, looks very much like a modern (post-1945) restrike. This is difficult to determine conclusively, since only the obverse of the coin is shown.
• The host coins of both Hafner 97 specimen in my collection have been struck after 1945.
• The host coin shown in the Hafner catalog is a post-1945 strike.

Conclusion

It is very questionable if genuine specimen of Hafner 97 exist.

• According to known literature references, the counterstamp was only supposed to be applied to Brazilian coins.
• With one exception, Maria Theresa Thalers with the Azores counterstamp were only offered for sale starting late in 1968, and all known offers in the 1968-1972 time frame can be tracked to the Browder collection.

Hafner 98

The counterstamp on Hafner 98 is a crowned G.P in a circle.

Literature references

• Brunk, in World Countermarks on Medieval and Modern Coins, writes:

  ... on March 4th 1887 a new decree ordered the countermarking of all foreign silver coins in the Azores, to be marked with a small G.P. (Governo Portuguez) below a small crown, and after this law had been complied with all further entry of foreign coins into the islands was not allowed.

• KM, Standard Catalog of World Coins, also associates the crowned G.P. counterstamp with the Azores and refers to the March 1887 decree. The description is as follows.
  Decree of March 31, 1887

  This second decree ordained that all foreign coinage in the Azores was to be countermarked with a crowned G.P. (Governo Portugues) within a circle. These also were eventually to be replaced or exchanged by current Portuguese coinage upon their entry into the public treasury. ... This countermark has been heavily counterfeited and should be approached with caution.

  KM does not list a Maria Theresa Thaler as host coin for this counterstamp.

Sales

Hafner 98 has been offered in multiple coin auctions and sales. The earliest offer I found is from 1964. Most but not all of the sales are from the Browder collection.

Auction	Comments
Schulman, Virgil Brand et al, Volume 2, November 1964	Lot #4635.
Kreisberg - Cohen, Mail bid sale, November 18, 1968	Lot #645.
Schulman, Frederico Diaz Lascano Collection et al, May 1969	Lot #897. From Browder collection.
Kreisberg - Cohen, Mail bid sale, June 29, 1970	Lot #702.
Schulman, Gibbs Part III, January 1971	Lot #1108. From Browder collection. Two counterstamps (Hafner 97 and 98). Attributed by Schulman to St. Thomas and Prince Islands.
Schulman, Gibbs Part III, January 1971	Lot #1139. From Browder collection.
Kreisberg - Cohen, Mail bid sale, September 13, 1971	Lot #2083.
Malter Galleries, April 2000	Lot #695. Host coin is a post-1945 strike.
H.D. Rauch, Auction 32, January 1984	Lot #3024. Host coin is a post-1945 strike. Specimen displayed in Hafner catalog.
eBay, January 2007	Item #330082013070. Host coin is a post-1945 strike.

Other Specimen

• The host coin of the specimen in my collection is a post-1945 strike.

Conclusion

It appears that most of the Hafner 98 counterstamps on Maria Theresa Thalers are not genuine. None of the specimen I have been able to examine are genuine. Furthermore, it is at least somewhat suspicious that I have been unable to find sales of Maria Theresa Thalers with this counterstamp prior to 1964.

However, it is at least possible that genuine specimen exist, since the counterstamp was supposed to be applied to all foreign coins circulating in the Azores, not only to a subset of those coins, as was the case with the Hafner 97 counterstamp.