Negotiating for a 1786 Vermont Cent in 1860.

ChopmarkedTrades

Brooklyn L.I. March 27th 1860

Dear Ed,
I suppose as you have not written to me you are waiting for me to write to you, so I will not wait for fear you would not write. I see Mc. very nearly every day, he said you were down here but I have not seen you. I see the sloop E.A. Johnson every day when I go over to New York. I saw George Green Jr some time ago. When do you expect to go into business. I met Nate Smith and your brother Gill about a month ago in Broadway. Will you sell that Vermont Cent of yours that you got when I was up last year. As it is very plain & the date is 1786, I will give you 75 Cents for it as I want it for my own collection. You do not care much for coins and I will send you the money for it. Write to me as soon as you receive this letter & if you have any more American coins & what they are & what you will take for them. Give my best respects to all the boys & tell them to write to me first & I will then answer them. You can never get a higher price for that coin I know. I can buy one just as good as the day it was made for one dollar but if I can get one that is not quite as good for a less price I would sooner have it.

Awaiting your reply,
I remain your affectionate friend,
Edmund B. Cumming

P.S. Direct your letters to the care of
S.R. Van Duzer Esq.
No. 198 Greenwich Street
New Your City

I found some of the negotiating tactics to be nearly unchanged over the past century and a half: "Well the condition isn't too great and the price I'm offering is the best you'll get".

WildIdea

This is pretty neat, thanks for sharing.

I find it rather interesting the paper and the fountain pen ink all on its own. Subject matter pretty cool too!

hchcoin

Cool letter

Unknown

This content has been removed.

JasonGaming

That is really neat... thank you for sharing it.

Broadstruck

Awesome read thanks for posting!

CaptHenway

I wonder what the dealer was asking for the coin if 75 cents was the counteroffer?

sellitstore

I don't think that he is a dealer as the writer says, "You don't care much for coins."

Now we all think about how much more we might offer but consider that the 75 cents offered likely would have been in the form of three 1850s seated quarters or a quarter and a half dollar. Could be a fair trade, even today, depending on grades involved.

Colonialcoin

@ChopmarkedTrades said:

Brooklyn L.I. March 27th 1860

Dear Ed,
I suppose as you have not written to me you are waiting for me to write to you, so I will not wait for fear you would not write. I see Mc. very nearly every day, he said you were down here but I have not seen you. I see the sloop E.A. Johnson every day when I go over to New York. I saw George Green Jr some time ago. When do you expect to go into business. I met Nate Smith and your brother Gill about a month ago in Broadway. Will you sell that Vermont Cent of yours that you got when I was up last year. As it is very plain & the date is 1786, I will give you 75 Cents for it as I want it for my own collection. You do not care much for coins and I will send you the money for it. Write to me as soon as you receive this letter & if you have any more American coins & what they are & what you will take for them. Give my best respects to all the boys & tell them to write to me first & I will then answer them. You can never get a higher price for that coin I know. I can buy one just as good as the day it was made for one dollar but if I can get one that is not quite as good for a less price I would sooner have it.

Awaiting your reply,
I remain your affectionate friend,
Edmund B. Cumming

P.S. Direct your letters to the care of
S.R. Van Duzer Esq.
No. 198 Greenwich Street
New Your City

I found some of the negotiating tactics to be nearly unchanged over the past century and a half: "Well the condition isn't too great and the price I'm offering is the best you'll get".

I hear the same sort of nonsense over 100 years later. Anyone who writes or texts such a lengthy note really wants the coin. Just keep it simple and ask for the best price and keep the violin in your case.

lkenefic

Thanks for sharing. ..

RogerB

Was Ed writing to Ed, or was Ed waiting for a replay from Ed?

Where did you find "Eds' " letters?

(Was either Ed a horse?)

ChopmarkedTrades

@RogerB said:
Was Ed writing to Ed, or was Ed waiting for a replay from Ed?

Where did you find "Eds' " letters?

Ed's letter apparently originated out of a storage unit auction, and was posted to a forum that focused on flipping items for profit. The owner is not apparently a numismatist, but enjoys the history of the piece, the writing style, and the unchanged nature of the "negotiation tactics" as a reseller. There was no additional correspondence found in the unit between the two Eds, so we are left to wonder how this particular offer panned out.

Timbuk3

Interesting, thanks for sharing !!!

RogerB

Yes, that's a nice bit of numismatic history and "style." Is the owner interested in selling the letter? I'd like to keep it in numismatic hands and add to NNP's database.

RogerB

PS: There's a small omission in the transcription. Here's the correction:

"Write to me as soon as you receive this letter & let me know about it & if you have any more American coins & what they are & what you will take for them. Give my best respects to all the boys & tell them to write to me first & I will then answer them."

ricko

Great old letter... interesting that the negotiation ploys have remained the same.. though the premiums are a tad different. Cheers, RickO

basalstate

I love this, thank you for starting my morning with a smile