Unchartered Territory of a Numismatic Research Find
DrDarryl
Posts: 626 ✭✭✭✭✭
Most collectors hunt for a new discovery; be it an error, variety, or hoard. I on the other hand hunt for information. This is a story of identifying an undocumented token. Obviously, the hunt was for a token of commerce from the images below.
One has to remember this research was completed through the internet of which the majority of the information came from the archives of a university, newspaper, and auction database. In other words, I was wearing my armchair numismatist researcher hat when I connected the dots.
A keyword search (guess the words) was performed and it yielded (Hawaii: location and business):
The hunt for additional commercial ads was performed which uncovered this.
Shifting from keywords searches, I moved to visual identification of the logo on the token.
As a result, a numismatic discovery was made in that the logo on the token matched dated advertisement and photographs.
In conclusion, the actual logo from a 1935 advertisement provided the year of first use (this is high probability estimate).
Hopefully, the individuals who are currently updating the 1991 book titled: Hawaiian Money: Standard Catalog "Second Edition" will add this token to the Dairy Token section. Imagine that, a Territory of Hawaii and a pre-WWII token.
This is the actual image of the discovery token. I did not mention how I connected Hawaii. an eBay seller who periodically sells Hawaii numismatic items listed this questionable specimen. The token shown in the above images was from a seller in the mid-west US.
Comments
I haven't gotten past the thread title yet...
"Unchartered" should be "uncharted".
Nice research. I'd bet @alohagary knows about this business. Peace Roy
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Well researched and should be added to the new edition. Cheers, RickO
This is a fantastic read. I wonder what the population count of that token might be.
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Excellent research! So why are the men on the token wearing "halos?"
Holding large spoons, maybe?
That's a great post and your research was really thorough.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Nice job 🙂
Another arm chair numismatic research example.
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) fulfilled my order request for copies of records relating to a specific type of US Mint medals manufactured for President Eisenhower.
At the time I did not have an image nor a specimen which I could study or review. I then created renditions based on the description from the NARA records. I was brainstorming how to get an actual image. These medals had three types of custom engravings. Then I had a eureka moment. The custom engravings were personalized to include the name of the recipient. I was studying the names on the list of awardees. Then the connection was made, Vice-President Richard M. Nixon was an awardee. I located the website of the Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library & Museum, and sent an inquiring email with a draft copy of my research findings and renditions.
A few days later I received a reply. Included were images of the medal and its special holder. Their reply thanked me as the medal was a total mystery to them. They indicated that my draft research paper would be placed with the medal as it describes the historic nature of the medal. The medal was a type of appreciation medal from President Eisenhower to his Vice-President.
In my reply, I thank them for the images and promised to send a copy of my book after it was published, and they can have a permanent record of the medal in a book. Here are draft samples of the newly revised write-up for my third book.
One has to remember these medals has never been cataloged until my first book in 2014. Is this not a numismatic discovery of previously unknown numismatic information? And the numismatic information is a firehose flow of previously unknown information? My rendition is almost spot on!
Great! I love that the stand is made from recovered White House wood.
I was a bit confused at first my the picture of the obverse and reverse as the reverse seems to be sort I'd an "artist's rendition" or mock-up of the RN medal. But the library's photos are very well done.
Lots of work remaining to be done on 20th U.S. Mint medals. Nice job here.
Cool 🪙
Mr_Spud