The "1844" Hope Civil War Token Research Thread
Zoins
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The 1844 Hope token die is interesting to me as the date of manufacture and issuer are apparently unknown though it has been used on several tokens. This thread is to discuss and track origins of this die, with a specific interest in die sinker and date of first appearance.
A while back @DCW posted a 1844 Hope Civil War Dog Tag. I posted some information on the 1844 Hope die there as its origins are apparently a mystery as is its creator, but wanted a thread specifically focused on the Hope die.
This came up again because I came across a 1856 election token which is interesting additional information for @EagleEye's description of the die which indicates it may have been engraved in late 1864 or early 1865:
Although dated 1844, this is a Civil War token as it is believed that the dies were engraved and the medals struck in late 1864 or early 1865. The reverse is the Rhode Island shield with the date "1844" below. The reason for the date is mysterious. Perhaps it has something to do with the Millerite movement which predicted the return of Jesus Christ that year.
The following has the 1844 Hope die muled with an 1856 campaign token for John Charles Frémont and William Lewis Dayton. Given that this election was in 1856, is the thought that the token was struck contemporary to 1856 or if this was a later mule? The token below has a large bi-secting die crack.
Here's @DCW 's original thread with the 1844 Hope die muled with Merriam's "War of 1861" dog tag. Has any dog tag with these two dies been found issued to a person? If not, is it possible this is a later numismatic mule?
- Thread: https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1021639/civil-war-patriotic-die-muled-with-a-dog-tag
- Cert: https://www.pcgs.com/cert/84201770
Comments
Here's a 1844 Henry Clay election token I just found from Kagin's.
This is especially interesting since Henry Clay ran in the 1844 election which is contemporary to the date on the shield. This is also interesting because the number '4' on both sides looks similar with a serif at the top of the digit.
Previously it was indicated that the 1844 Hope die was done by an unknown "Rhode Island die sinker" but mhonzell at coinhelp.net indicates the 1844 Hope die was done by Emil Sigel. Emil emigrated from Germany. Was he in the US in 1844?
I have heard that these were commissioned by the Rhode Island Numismatic Association during the Civil War. Perhaps the date was significant to their formation.
The Hope die was used in conjunction with various pictorials. Dogs, hares, hunting scenes. It was also muled to created rarities with unrelated dies like the political campaign medals and the Civil War dog tag that I own. Certainly there were no dog tags issued to soldiers like that. There would be no space for name and regiment.
Most likely, the Hope die was owned by the Association which sought ought members or diesinkers that had access to other dies to create special strikes. This was common practice in the 19th Century.
Here is another oddball in the collection of Dave Bowers (who specialized in these):
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
Good to know. Do you have a reference to who thought it was commissioned by them?
It might be in Bowers' book on the tokens of Rhode Island. Will have to check when I get home, but it seems a logical starting point.
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
Geez. I love a good mystery. I'm going to be looking for Die F-481 everywhere I go. Peace Roy
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@DCW do you think the Merriam dog tag mule was done by the RINA membership as well? Do we know if Merriam was a member of the RINA.
I don't think Merriam was a member, but he may have provided the die. He has a connection to Rhode Island in that he married a girl from Providence. She rather quickly committed him to an insane asylum and within months he was dead, 4 days shy of his 40th birthday... Love bites...
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
In addition to the serifs on the number 4, the stars are similar on both faces, 5 pointed stars with a dot in the middle.
This one was sold by Steve Hayden tonight and a number of others are currently on the market.
Steve's description mentioned this was delisted as a Civil War token but new evidence exists indicating a Civil War association. It went for a strong price, selling for almost double the esimate, $1,198.88 vs. an estimate of $600-750.
I wonder how many of these exist and if any information will turn up how how there came to be such a variety of these.
Great piece!
Here's an engraving of the Boston Light Dragoons by Frank Leslie:
https://cdm.bostonathenaeum.org/digital/collection/p13110coll5/id/4812/
What week is it? This series of dies has been in and out of favor (and the catalog!) for as long as I've been around CWTs.
Listing and relisting dies simply due to association is very shaky at best, especially with the known antics of some Civil War dies sinkers who kept, copied, traded, appropriated, muled and then continued use of dies well after the war ended. To me they are similar to General Joe Hooker's "camp followers", very pretty but with a very questionable past and nothing for which I would pay more than beer money.
Interesting.