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Thomas Elder paperweight with embedded 1854 Large Cent

RLSnapperRLSnapper Posts: 580 ✭✭✭✭✭
in U.S. Coin Forum

As I collect Braided Hair Large Cents this piece of exonumia caught my eye. I wish the LC was in better shape but it would make a fine addition to my overall LC set. What do you guys think?

Comments

  • Mr_SpudMr_Spud Posts: 5,834 ✭✭✭✭✭

    That’s really cool!

    Mr_Spud

  • MFeldMFeld Posts: 13,900 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I love it!

    Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.

  • DCWDCW Posts: 7,464 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Now THAT is neat!

    Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
    "Coin collecting for outcasts..."

  • NumisOxideNumisOxide Posts: 10,997 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Cool!

  • PerryHallPerryHall Posts: 46,367 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Very cool. B)
    Any idea when Thomas Elder was at this location?

    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

  • tttwotttwo Posts: 39 ✭✭✭

    New York City directories show him on 23rd Street by at least 1906 and still there through at least 1916, but by 1920 he was on 35th.

  • Steven59Steven59 Posts: 8,967 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Indeed - a great collectible piece.

    "When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"

  • CaptHenwayCaptHenway Posts: 32,356 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I had one. The "macerated money" is not U.S. currency, or at least not the cut up bits of wildcat notes that are still identifiable. THe pulp might be.

    Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
  • Dave99BDave99B Posts: 8,587 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Man that’s cool!

    Dave

    Always looking for original, better date VF20-VF35 Barber quarters and halves, and a quality beer.
  • RobertScotLoverRobertScotLover Posts: 974 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Awesome

  • PerryHallPerryHall Posts: 46,367 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @CaptHenway said:
    I had one. The "macerated money" is not U.S. currency, or at least not the cut up bits of wildcat notes that are still identifiable. THe pulp might be.

    Private bank notes including notes from "wildcat banks" ceased circulating during the Civil War when the US government got into the paper money printing business. Thomas Elder wasn't even born until 1874 so it's unlikely the "macerated money" contained bits of wildcat notes. Perhaps there are redeemed or obsolete foreign bank notes inside the paperweight.

    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

  • tokenprotokenpro Posts: 884 ✭✭✭✭✭

    The good Captain is most probably correct about his example - the three I've handled over the years and the others that I've seen have - when identifiable - bits and pieces of obsolete currency on top of the macerated mass. The weight in the OP actually has the least amount of bits & pieces that I've seen in one of these. All I've seen have had well circulated large cents. IIRC a couple other coin dealers issued similar macerated weights but without a coin. Piles of obsolete notes were easily available during the time that Elder was in business (and actually well into the 20th Century).

  • PerryHallPerryHall Posts: 46,367 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @tokenpro said:
    The good Captain is most probably correct about his example - the three I've handled over the years and the others that I've seen have - when identifiable - bits and pieces of obsolete currency on top of the macerated mass. The weight in the OP actually has the least amount of bits & pieces that I've seen in one of these. All I've seen have had well circulated large cents. IIRC a couple other coin dealers issued similar macerated weights but without a coin. Piles of obsolete notes were easily available during the time that Elder was in business (and actually well into the 20th Century).

    I'll take your word for it. I wonder if there were some old CSA notes in the macerated mix. After the Civil War, Confederate notes were in large supply and were considered virtually worthless.

    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

  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Nice piece of numismatic memorabilia..... Cheers, RickO

  • CaptHenwayCaptHenway Posts: 32,356 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @tokenpro said:
    The good Captain is most probably correct about his example - the three I've handled over the years and the others that I've seen have - when identifiable - bits and pieces of obsolete currency on top of the macerated mass. The weight in the OP actually has the least amount of bits & pieces that I've seen in one of these. All I've seen have had well circulated large cents. IIRC a couple other coin dealers issued similar macerated weights but without a coin. Piles of obsolete notes were easily available during the time that Elder was in business (and actually well into the 20th Century).

    Correct. Elder, or whoever made these for him, took unidentifiable blobs of presumably macerated U.S. currency and cut out identifiable little bits from obsolete non-U.S. currency and pasted them onto the blobs to make them more interesting. The one I owned had a small train vignette on it.

    Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
  • lkeneficlkenefic Posts: 8,169 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Very Cool! B)

    It's going to make cracking the coin out for the album a bit problematic... ;)

    Collecting: Dansco 7070; Middle Date Large Cents (VF-AU); Box of 20;

    Successful BST transactions with: SilverEagles92; Ahrensdad; Smitty; GregHansen; Lablade; Mercury10c; copperflopper; whatsup; KISHU1; scrapman1077, crispy, canadanz, smallchange, robkool, Mission16, ranshdow, ibzman350, Fallguy, Collectorcoins, SurfinxHI, jwitten, Walkerguy21D, dsessom.
  • SmudgeSmudge Posts: 9,594 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Nice collectible.

  • ZoinsZoins Posts: 34,353 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Very very cool! I haven't seen these before and it's great to both see it and hear about their history!

    Private Mint News | 2010 Lincoln Reverse Finalists
  • ZoinsZoins Posts: 34,353 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @tttwo said:
    New York City directories show him on 23rd Street by at least 1906 and still there through at least 1916, but by 1920 he was on 35th.

    I don't see many medals or tokens issued from 1920 and later. It seems like 1917 was a high point.

    Private Mint News | 2010 Lincoln Reverse Finalists
  • telephoto1telephoto1 Posts: 4,935 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Awesome find, and a solid piece of numismatic history.


    RIP Mom- 1932-2012
  • johnny9434johnny9434 Posts: 28,596 ✭✭✭✭✭

    nice, i like :)

  • NeophyteNumismatistNeophyteNumismatist Posts: 1,078 ✭✭✭✭✭

    That's really cool. Thanks for sharing!

    I am a newer collector (started April 2020), and I primarily focus on U.S. Half Cents and Type Coins. Early copper is my favorite.

  • Manifest_DestinyManifest_Destiny Posts: 6,900 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Very cool!

  • MaywoodMaywood Posts: 2,433 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Times change and so does spelling. It looks really weird to see "inclosed" but I suppose that 100+ years ago it was standard.

  • LakesammmanLakesammman Posts: 17,409 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I LIKE it! :+1:

    "My friends who see my collection sometimes ask what something costs. I tell them and they are in awe at my stupidity." (Baccaruda, 12/03).I find it hard to believe that he (Trump) rushed to some hotel to meet girls of loose morals, although ours are undoubtedly the best in the world. (Putin 1/17) Gone but not forgotten. IGWT, Speedy, Bear, BigE, HokieFore, John Burns, Russ, TahoeDale, Dahlonega, Astrorat, Stewart Blay, Oldhoopster, Broadstruck, Ricko, Big Moose.

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