1808 Engraved Aboliton of Slavery Coin Story...
Historical_numi
Posts: 9 ✭
This is my favourite numismatic story, as recalled by my uncle, a keen numismatics expert. He loves telling it. It is a wonderful story and very important in US history.
On January 1st 1808 the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves came into force. After there was a massive public movement and support for the total Abolition of slavery in the United States. It created friction between the north eastern states and those in the south east, as we know. To appease the Southern States Congress put a 20 year ban in place.
The United States was in party mode after the Act was ratified. Black and white communities across the country celebrated wildly. The support for the total Abolition movement exploded across the country. This was followed by the progressive rallying cry to denounce the slavery trade, throughout the north east of the United States. Speeches, books, articles, journals and many other forms of media were written, talked about and even action taken. The "A" for Aboliton symbol was used as a marker and an early form of graffiti!! The "A" appearing in alleyways, books, scribbles, journals etc to show support for the movement, and even one coin!!!!
The director of the mint at the time was a very keen Abolitonist and philanthropist. He had suffered at the hands of the British in his own country and refuted segregation. He sanctioned the engraving of the letter "A" on a single specimen of coin at the time, in a prominent location, and then then the coin was put into circulation. This was his form of protest and getting the word out. People at the time heard the news and it grew the movement in its own small, but very significant way! The die was then apparently destroyed and a new die used, so there was no evidence, as not everyone had the same beliefs as he did.
I absolutely love this story, it shows what the US was really about at the time. Hope, equality, rebellion, education, intelligence above many more adjectives to describe a nacent new country.
It would be great to find out more about this history, as it was a very important time in the States. It precluded and was a participant in the American civill war and the birth of the country, as we know it today. Of course, as well to see if anyone has got that coin in their collection.. it maybe worth a little more now then back then....
Comments
I don't believe a special die was ever created for this purpose.
Paging @BillJones, one of the forum’s prominent historians, who can perhaps shed more light on this?
Sorry, but this is all new to me.
Sounds like a fairy tale, sorry.
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
A new die was not created for the coin, the "A" was graffitied on the die.
Creating a special die to strike one coin to put into circulation to "get the word out"? 🤔
It's not even good fiction.
peacockcoins
But one person MIGHT have gotten the message.
Without further evidence, the tale is likely a legend and not true. The details are certainly not true. Dies were valuable and carefully tracked. You wouldn't waste one to make one coin, especially when you could easily just counterstamp an A on every coin you spent in commerce and have a larger impact.
Yes, counterstamping would have been infinitely more efficient and productive, and it would not have wasted valuable mint resources or risked anyone's job.
This one falls in the "incredible claims require incredible proof" department.
I'm sorry, and I know you don't want to read this, but what you wrote is fantasy. I understand your uncle tells the story and might even believe it and I understand that you likely grew up with the story and it is ingrained into your brain as much as your blood is in your veins, but it simply isn't true. In cases such as yours, folks have a very hard time giving up the threads of what they hold dear and typically fight like heck to retain them. What you have written is bunk.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Nice story, just probably not true. Hearsay isn't facts, never was, never will be. Some could describe it as wishful thinking
It was 1848
The O/P uncle may very well have been a keen numismatics expert as well as a good storyteller but none of us have heard this story before. We're a lot more skeptical bunch when it comes to numismatic claims than your average non-numismatist audience.
I am interested in knowing who is the “uncle, a keen numismatics”.
Well I told you about my uncle and his story. What I didn't realise is that my uncle knows the owner of the coin! Apparently a relative of the mint director knew about the Aboliton of slavery coin and made it his duty to try and track down the coin. He did. And we have a photo of the coin....
I have been told that the coin die was micro engraved on the obverse die. A distinct A from the temple of lady liberty across the whole cheek. It is clearly visible.
Questions:
Are there any other coins in US history that have been "officially" defaced by a worker in the US mint?
This is clearly a special coin but will this be listed as a new variety of 1808 half dollar. As the die has been altered..
Or what ha
Should I advise to get this independently verified by PCGS????
ANY HELPOST APPRECIATED. The owner
There appears there may be heavy damage on the reverse - can you provide a photo of that, as well?
Looking at the right of the bust it appears your half dollar was struck with clashed dies.
I'd think the engraver would have done a better job with the "A" if that is what it is.
Personally I don't believe it is.
The right side of the "A" seems to be part of the clashed die and the left side and middle look like cut marks.
Still a neat story though, but more along the lines of Aesop's Fables.
peacockcoins
Sorry but nothing about your story is true. It didn't happen.
The A is raised it is not indented. So therefore the die has been engraved before pressing...
The reverse....
Sometimes cut marks will do that.
Old thread, but describes how:
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/881902/raised-x-or-recessed-i-say-raised-which-would-mean
peacockcoins
It could have a die scratch(s). That's not "engraving". Plenty of dies have scratches like that. Here's one and it doesn't mean the mint engraver was commemorating the transcontinental railroad.
A lot of new historians recently…
Clearly PMD where the cut displaced metal. The coin was lightly worn and flattened, leaving what appears to be raised lines. What you have is graffiti that is impossible to trace (unless your uncle destroyed that half dollar).
Not a die scratch.
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you" Matthew 6:33. Young fellow suffering from Bust Half fever.
BHNC #AN-10
JRCS #1606
Regardless, an interesting story. I'm sure none of our great mint errors were not mint conspiracies. Odd that there is not a record of a die unaccounted for at that time of production, but then again. I truly doubt the director of the mint was involved but quite possible an employee of the mint scratched an A in a die and struck a few coins and destroyed or ground away the evidence. Might even have been for his girlfriend April.
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
Agreed could have been for girlfriend.. Prefer the Aboliton story. I suppose we will never know.
The coin still exists and is in the hands of an keen numismatist...
Questions are:
Are there any other known examples of graffiti from the workers in the mint? Or is this unique?
DOES this classify as a different overton variety as the die has been altered? As it has been Changed by actual mint workers?
"Workers at the mint" didn't do this. You're operating under a false premise.
You are making a huge assumption, presumably without considering all the possibilities.
Did you read the linked thread above about how thin cuts on a coin can create raised ridges? I think I can see a cut on atleast two sides of the "A".
As has been said, it’s a very cool story, and in coins it is fairly “common” to have stories of lore/mystery attached. I know that the story seems to fit with the “A” looking raised and not engraved/punched into the coin. However, in this case, the story is no more than folklore and the “A” most likely is produced by engraving deep on one side(if you use a knife to engrave on metal, you get a cut but the metal has to flow somewhere, causing a raised area on the left or right from the engraving), causing circulation to make the metal flow look like it’s raised and in the die as opposed to in the coin. It’s a fun story and enjoyable to hear. Though in this case, ultimately a fictional story.
Edited to add - I’ve included the image with a line below what shows clearly engraving line where it didn’t circulate “over” and push the metal. This is how one can make an engraving look “raised” on coins.
It's still just a post-mint damaged coin. The A you see was very likely cut into the coin after it was in circulation, either on purpose or just through damage, and the raised metal was pushed to the side as the coin wore down more. It's that simple. Mint workers didn't alter this coin or its die to produce something special.
You can continue to chase the fantasy and push the story in your thread or you can read the numerous replies from experienced numismatists (who don't push fantastical tales) and realize it isn't what you have been claiming. If however, your universe requires your story to be true, then I would suggest you simply send it to PCGS to have it certified. It will come back as "graffiti" or "damaged" or something similar.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Just to clarify this is NOT true, as shown above. This confuses a lot of people, so don’t feel bad. But, in this case, it is engraved with a knife and circulated after the engraving done. So, with that said, the “engraving” is older, but not in the die nor is it from manufacture.
No.
Actually, it was common practice to put graffiti on coins using a sharp knife at an angle to undercut the surface.
This has the effect of raising up the metal next to the cut. That is what happened to your coin. It did not leave the Mint with the "A" on it. The "A" was added later by some individual. Usually, this type of thing was done to mark a person's property so in the case of theft it could be proven who the owner was.
A mint engraver would have made a much better A. That would be shoddy work for a mint job.
A common form of post-Mint mutilation most often seen on coins of the 19th Century. Dig a sharp knife point into a coin at an angle and push up a raised furrow next to the cut, like a plow does with dirt.
The whole “A for Abolition” story is nonsense.
The OP stated that the engraving of the letter A was on a ‘single specimen’, not on the die.
It’s a nice story handed down in his family. Are there any families in existence which don’t have their own stories told over and over without a shred of documented evidence?
30+ years coin shop experience (ret.) Coins, bullion, currency, scrap & interesting folks. Loved every minute!
Gotta give the Original Poster an "A" for "affort".
"To Be Esteemed Be Useful" - 1792 Birch Cent --- "I personally think we developed language because of our deep need to complain." - Lily Tomlin
It is rather interesting that the op writes on 2/3/24 about the fantastic tale as told to him by his family members re a certain engraved die with an A minted on one single coin. And as unbelievable as it sounds and of course impossible due to his lack of knowledge of the minting process 2 months later in 5/1/24 lo and behold the op coincidentally finds said single specimen, how fortunate for him, it's almost as if he had it the whole time but that is just wishful thinking on my end. And of course it is crudely engraved with a tool but due to the op's lack of understanding it is just pmd and yet the discovery of the single coin is realized. I wonder how much the op believes this single specimen might be worth after he submits it to PCGS?
I say submit it and report back the results unless the op listen to reason and donates said specimen to a yn who would appreciate owning a a rough but decent 1808
It gets worse for @Hysterical_numi. Isn't this the very same Half without the A?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1100646/1808-half-dollar-real-or-fake-help-please#latest
Well that's interesting. New guy exposes new guy who has new guy's half.
Wow. Just wow. What a turn! This place is like a soap opera sometimes.
Yes. Most families wouldn't pass a total unbelievable story such as this down to future generations.
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
Lol. I'm guessing @THE_SQUIRREL is an alt for @Historical_numi . They joined one day apart.
Now, my question is: did the OP carve the coin and make it look worn down or is it a photoshop?
Care to comment @Historical_numi ?
Occam says photoshop.
Simply amazing what people do for attention.
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That would be my guess, as well. But Occam doesn't live here anymore.
Did someone say "Uggams"?
@Historical_numi and/or @THE_SQUIRREL .... any comment/explanation/excuse/punchline?