Hello!, looking for help on this token, encased cent from 1901

Coin Finder

Any ideas or is this a listed encased cent? Thanks!

ifthevamzarockin

Wow! With a nice red Unc Indian.... nice!

tokenpro

This encased has been attributed to San Francisco, California, the current headquarters of Schilling's Spices (or their current conglomerate). A couple of things are unusual about this piece - 1901 was the first year that encased coins were extensively produced (spurred by the thousands and thousands made as unique souvenirs at the Pan-American Expo in Buffalo) and the vast majority made that year used a 38mm aluminum frame with the cent centered. This piece is both smaller (32mm) with an offset cent which was uncommon but not unique for 1901 issues. The Schilling encasement is also known with 1902 and possibly other dates in a similar type frame.

Once other unusual aspect is the haphazard placement of the cent which is found in many different orientations to the wording and devices. One thing you'll notice with encased coins from 1901 to the present is that the almost all die sinkers took care to carefully orient the position of the cent in north-south balance with the wording and devices. Normally on cents the words One Cent & the date will be level on the obverse and the Lincoln or Indian bust will be head down on the reverse. The cents in the Schilling pieces always seem to have been encased in whatever direction they happened to have been randomly popped into the frame before striking.

Jzyskowski1

Wow. I doesn’t look cleaned!! Nice nice!It is the middle of the night. I’ll look when I get up to check livestock 🙀😉

ricko

Now that cent has been well preserved. Must have been put away in a non-reactive environment for a long, long time. Cheers, RickO

Coin Finder

Thanks for the information! Ill give a little also, I found this at a coin shop, the owner bought it with a bunch of other junk foreign coins, morgans, fake currency etc.... The coin is so very nice so it must of just sat somewhere dry and airless.. Anyway, this company was founded in 1881 in San Francisco.

I wonder if these where given out for the company's 20th anniversary at the Pan American Buffalo New York Expo?

messydesk

Gorgeous 1901 cent for an encased coin, but perhaps @tokenpro can comment on the fact that the encasement looks to be XF-AU and the cent is a nice unc. Shouldn't the wear and tear be about the same or does the encasement really protect the coin that much?

tokenpro

Of course it depends on the individual die sinker but most of the aluminum frames/holders do protect the coin. If you look at encased Indian 1c you will notice that the holder may be vf but the cent will often be a nice brown au. The same is true for early (pre-WWII) Lincolns -- the coin will most often exceed the holder by a grade or two.

It almost makes you want to pop out the cent... which will then teach you that the 360 degree strike pressure of aluminum will often affect copper edges and rims in a negative manner resulting in a double header sweep -- both the cent and the encasement will be losses.

291fifth

The condition of the coin appears to be far better than the aluminum encasement. Is that something that is usually found on these?

messydesk

@tokenpro said:
Of course it depends on the individual die sinker but most of the aluminum frames/holders do protect the coin. If you look at encased Indian 1c you will notice that the holder may be vf but the cent will often be a nice brown au. The same is true for early (pre-WWII) Lincolns -- the coin will most often exceed the holder by a grade or two.

It almost makes you want to pop out the cent... which will then teach you that the 360 degree strike pressure of aluminum will often affect copper edges and rims in a negative manner resulting in a double header sweep -- both the cent and the encasement will be losses.

I'm aware that removed encased coins have a pinched rim on them. Are there instances of encasements that have had non-original coins put into them? I assume that if this is done, the inner edge of the encasement would be a bit of a mess and the coin wouldn't fit tightly any longer.

CaptHenway

It is odd that the coin would be that bright in an obviously handle encasement. ANy chance that the coin was lacquered right after it was encased?

Coin Finder

Ya no lacquer now... Thanks everyone!!