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Grover the Cat
Zoins
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I've always liked these tokens but never got around to picking one up.
While looking for a photo to post in @Broadstruck's @RogerB thread, I decided to post one, and to my surprise, they were from the 1890s with different reverses. I had always thought they were much earlier because I saw them sold with Civil War tokens.
Anyone know how many kinds of tokens there are and does anyone collect these?
Anyone know what "CABLE GROVERCAT" means?
Also, does anyone know what "P.A. of A" and "P.A. of P" mean?
Images below are from Steve Hayden.
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Here's a page from the W.P. Buchanan catalog that shows a posing chair that was manufactured, imported and sold by the firm.
@Zoins - Photographers' Association of America? Just a guess. Here's something from the convention in 1902. Perhaps the "P" is "of Pennsylvania"?
https://photoseed.com/collection/group/program-photographers-association-of-america-1902/
"Photographic Artists of America"
They were competing for customers with portrait painters and wanted to be approached as serious artists in light.
Weird eyes on that cat
Grover liked playing with live electrical cable... Hence being called the Cable Cat
So be nice as you'd be bug eyed too
I believe both designs are also available struck on copper planchets.
I know the 1894 is as I've sold a few of those in both copper and brass.
Here's one more from 1895. This specimen is NGC MS64 from the Pennsylvania Cabinet and recently sold for $270. Photos are from Robert Johnson of Centsles who handled the sale.
I like that cat.... Had not seen a house cat token before.... That one is interesting... anyone know the back story on the cat? Cheers, RickO
David Schenkman had an excellent write up about W.P. Buchanan & Grovercat either in his Numismatist exonumia column or possibly in a TAMS Journal story -- I couldn't find the issue with a quick search of the NNP.
We need a commemorative grumpy cat coin to celebrate his grumpy life
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/quarters/washington-quarters-major-sets/washington-quarters-date-set-circulation-strikes-1932-present/publishedset/209923
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/quarters/washington-quarters-major-sets/washington-quarters-date-set-circulation-strikes-1932-present/album/209923
Seen cat house tokens, but no house cat tokens either. Interesting tokens.
I was able to find photos from 4 years from 1894 to 1897 so I updated the images in the OP. It seems there are (at least) 4 years for these now.
I left the Pennsylvania Cabinet specimen photo by Centles later in the thread since it's a different photographer.
Just found this 2013 thread by @Broadstruck with a lot of good info on this token. I'm including the content here on the off chance that thread goes away because it's in the "Testing Forum" for some reason.
@Zoins that was one I sold.
I can't seem to keep anything Cats, Dogs, Witches, or Dudes smoking weed related as other collectors wiggle it out of me.
Yeah, those topics have a lot of interest. I wonder who has the top collection of these.
There are 2 great witch specimens on eBay now but offered for high prices. I wonder if they will get picked up.
I just bought a couple of rarities out of that collection.
Although the original Pennsylvania Cabinet token collection was sold by Bowers & Merena in 1997 all this stuff must have been more kept until just now.
I just picked up 2 from the Pennsylvania Cabinet recently as well, an absolutely rarity and a potential condition rarity, but not this one.
Good to know the collection was originally sold in 1997. I'll have to look it up. I've been noticing that Stack's Bowers has been doing a better job with their auction archives recently so hopefully this will be included.
There are so many great pieces in the Pennsylvania Cabinet in this recent sale that I think it deserves some kind of reference to keep the information on the collection together. A number of pieces were recently handled by Centsles on eBay and I've been thinking about putting together references for eBay sales like this. Not sure when I'll have the time but I think it's a worthwhile endeavor for token fans like myself.
That's for the info. It would be great to find this story.
I'm a big fan of the ANS Magazine because they make PDF versions publicly available after a few years, 4 I think.
The B&M Pennsylvania Cabinet collection sold in 1997 was mostly Hard Times and Civil War tokens. So either all the U.S. Merchants had been in the collection at the time or the collector assembled this collection over the last 22 years. I think it was already part of the collection as there was stuff I hadn't seen research wise pop up in any sale since 1997. Then again once it the blood stream it's not uncommon for someone who just sold their collection to turn around and build another. Needless to say I still have unanswered question regrading the pedigree on the slab labels. Yet based on the rarity, quality, and quantity feel it's legit.
1997 and 2019 is a long time in between sales, but I agree there are some nice, rare, high quality pieces in the recent offering.
Is there any information on who engraved and struck these tokens?
These are in the newer NGC slabs, without the centering on the label. So at the very least, they were reholdered to get the pedigree. Was the Pennsylvania Cabinet sold raw?
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
Was watching this W.H. Key storecard with interest because I own one and haven't seen too many around.
Nice token, but too bad for the spots on the obverse which the seller calls "MS65RD?"
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
A recent batch was handled by centsles which included newer NGC and ICG blue-label slabs. There are some upcoming NNC slabs for sale as well. Given this, it seems centsles may have assisted with the slabbing.
NGC does a nice job on pedigrees, which is especially suitable for exonumia. It would be nice for PCGS to follow suit.
I was watching that one as well. It ended up going for $162.50.
A white metal NGC MS61 one sold for $138.50 in the same group.
@Zoins
I would've been all over that white metal token. How'd I miss that?
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
I missed that too for some reason. I had the copper one on my watch list but didn't see the white metal one until after the auction closed. Hopefully someone here picked it up.
Prices was a bit cheap on those.
All the coppers I've seen are RB with at least one spot.
Reverse is double struck with mild overlap on many.
Scarcer is brass than white metal.
1897 Grover Cat W.P. Buchanan Store Card - Brass, Plain Edge - Rulau-Phi C7 - NGC MS65 POP 1/1/0 - Ex. Tim Gabriele
To keep this thread up to date, I recently picked up the following from Tim Gabriele via Stack's. Tim really had an amazing eye and ability to pick up the finest pieces. He had an entire type set of these in amazing condition including the Pennsylvania Cabinet specimen above. I wish I was able to pick up them all, but settled on this gem uncirculated one, which looked to be the best of the group.
In addition to the PA Cabinet sale photos above, here are the Stack's photos of the same token from the Tim Gabriele sale. This sold for $264 in the Tim Gabriele collection sale.
https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-NLCV1/pennsylvania-philadelphia-1895-wp-buchanan-rulau-phl-b7b-brass-plain-edge-ms-64-ngc
Here's one on hold at CRO now. This has a very nice looking obverse.
Nice to have the James E. Dice, M. Lamar Hicks, and now John Agre / CRO provenance on this.
https://www.coinraritiesonline.com/product/1894-cat-token/
Here's another I just ran across. I'm kind of addicted to these. I wish I bought up all the Tim Gabriele specimens.
This one can be called the 1897 Kearney Specimen as it's from the Kearney Coin Center.