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Apparently some Eisenhower's were stamped also -
Leroy
Posts: 186 ✭✭✭
I was sorting through a bag of Eisenhower's that I got from the bank yesterday and found a couple of keeper's. A 1978-S (40% silver) and this R. THIES counterstamp. Did a quick internet search and found this letter from R. Thies who had responded to someone who wrote him about finding one of his quarters -
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You found a 40% silver 1978 Eisenhower??
That is a great find I for one would love to own. I have a few of quarters and have never heard of Ikes being counterstamped.
As you already know, artist Ryan Thies did NOT create these. (His explanation is toungue-in-cheek).
By the way, that letter above was sent to me. It came in an elaborately decorated envelope. The letter and envelope were/are included on his website.
It's a 1978 with the "S" mint mark, I believe that it's 40%??
No Kidding, it really is a small world...
A clad Proof.
'R Thies" = [pronunciation] "R Tee's" = Arty's.....
It's nice to have this info in the public record when some researcher in the future tries to ID the C/S.
Ads on money is illegal.
But still. A cool find
The letter is incorrect. Defacing money is legal so long as it isn't for fraudulent purposes, with one exception.
That is, it is illegal to affix or imprint commercial advertising on money.
I question whether or not this person's parents actually went to prison for any length of time.
As far as I know, nobody went to prison (or was even fined) for the large scale promotional "Silver Surfer" stickers that were applied to a bunch of circulating quarters several years ago.
True, but this coin is not advertising anything....
The letter (original was sent to me after I wrote to him to ask if he was invilved) is tongue in cheek. It has lots of inaccuracies as you gave noted.
No one was given more than a stern talking to by the Secret Service over the Silver Surfer caper.
Sounds like a promotional "tall tale". Prison for that sounds harsh. I have never heard of this so it could be true, but sounds like a fabrication. Remember the "Where's George" bills. No one has been punished for that as far as I know. Currency may not be the same as coinage in the eyes of the government. Does anyone know?
Nice !!!
I too question the prison time
It has been established above that the letter was not serious. Of course there was no prison time. Partly because there most likely wouldn't be, but also because Ryan Thies and his parents have nothing to do with these.
I have never encountered one of these coins - quarters or Ike's....Actually, I have only seen one counterstamped coin from circulation, and that was a cent with the Kennedy profile...there were also cents stamped with states outline I believe, but never found one of them. Cheers, RickO
If I recall correctly, these R.THIES counterstamps first appeared in the early to mid 1980s in the Las Vegas area. I have seen or heard of mainly quarters being counterstamped, either obverse only, obverse and reverse, or obverse with a number on the reverse.
A few years ago I did some research and found two people in the Las Vegas area with the last name Thies and first initial R. I wrote to them to ask if they knew anything about these coins but neither ever replied.
[Off-hand comment offended someone so it was removed.]
Why does everything on this forum have to turn political? I can't even enjoy a thread about counterstamped coins without someone trolling and trying to bait others.
Just agreeing with Smudge. Looks more like a "work-release" program instead of prison time. Nothing is being advertised by "Arty" - whoever that is/was.
Different sections of the US Code.
ANA 50+ year/Life Member (now "Emeritus")
Author: 3rd Edition of the SampleSlabs book, https://sampleslabs.info/
A simplified answer:
1) it is against the law to add a commercial advertisement on any money.
2) it is illegal to deface currency (but OK to do it to coins), which is defined as intentionally rendering a bill unsuitable for reissuance (circulation). (There is also currently a rule against melting cents and nickels).
3) any alteration (coin or currency) for fraudulent purposes is illegal.
"Where's George" stayed out of hot water by agreeing to stop selling the rubber stamps on their website, thereby removing the argument that they were advertising a site where they were selling something. (The more recent campaign finance reform websites do sell the related rubber stamps on their websites, and I am not sure if they have been challenged on it yet).
http://rthies.com/quarter.html
interesting
i got an r. thies bicentennial quarter this week
I remembered seeing this thread now im in da club too
In circulation?
i saw an ad on craigslist a guy wanted 60 bucks for 4 rolls of bicentennial quarters plus 4 ikes . I always liked the quarters since I was a kid and apparently so did he as thats how he assembled these rolls a coin at a time over decades.
I unrolled them and found one quarter had the stamp and also there was a silver 1963 washie in a roll he must have forgot about.
I also bought a coin bank from him for $20
That's a great score. The R. Thies quarters used to go for an average of atleast $15 on ebay (sometimes almost twice that).
My interest in these was rekindled by this thread a few months ago and as we speak the artist Ryan Thies (not the source of these quarters, but usually referenced every time they come up) is working on a couple artworks for me.
here is the bank kind of neat it counts change in and the double ended key is used to open the back and reset the counter
What does the side view look like?
Neat bank, especially with the name and information on it.
Its called an add bank or add a bank , made in san francisco and then branded by the local bank i suppose . It reads the coins in but pennies dont register.
Suffolk savings bank is long gone I think it merged with franklin savings then probably merged a few more times. The one in Roslindale is a restaurant now.
Tremont st has been renumbered there doesn't seem to be a number 1 any more but where I think it was looks like a bank still same with berkley street
The old time banks had to have stone pillars it was a law I think