New LCS Purchase - Ayer’s Cathartic Pills Encased Postage Stamp
MEJ7070
Posts: 820 ✭✭✭✭✭
I know a bit about these, but have never actively sought to add any to my collection. Had a chance to purchase this from my LCS yesterday and I was excited to pick it up. My dad is a huge stamp enthusiast and I purchased it thinking of him and his collection.
I really liked everything about this particular piece. The mica appears to be in great shape, the stamp appears to be in better shape than others I’ve come across, and the originality and eye appeal of the surfaces are similar to those I often pursue in my coin collecting.
Just wanted to share with the forum and see what anyone with advanced knowledge about these had to say. I know these have been heavily faked before and the stamps have been replaced on other examples. Any red flags here? I know ICG is the only TPG that will grade these. If I were to send to them it would really only to confirm authenticity.
Appreciate any feedback anyone wants to chime in with!
Comments
It looks 100% original and not tampered with in any way. More than 50% of the original silvering is still present. The stamp is somewhat dirty and faded which is typical, especially with this color and denomination. Overall, it's a well above average example. I'd grade it very fine.
Very cool piece of Civil War history that comes with an interesting story.
Many came with damaged mica covers and frequently the mica is replaced with a fresh mica cover to increase its value. Also, the denomination of the stamp will affect its value so some have replaced the original stamp with a higher denomination stamp to increase its rarity and value. When buying, be sure to use a good magnifier to check the edge of the metal cover where it's folded over to see if there are any signs that it's been pried open to make any of these alterations.
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
@Perryhall & @sellitstore
Thanks very much for your thoughts and info! Much appreciated. I’m excited to keep studying it and to have it in my collection.
That is a very nice one. As you stated, the mica is nice which is a key issue when you are buying these pieces. It is also one of the pieces that was silvered, and most of the silvering is intact on the reverse. The one thing is Ayer’s is by far the most common merchant. That’s not a bad thing; it’s just a fact.
What were these used for in the day?
These were designed by John Gault to use as emergency small change type currency in commerce/trade.
This is a 3c piece but they came in other denominations as well. I think the smallest is 1c and the largest, which are very rare (I think) were 90c.
Coins were hoarded during the Civil War and people used postage stamps for small change which got messed up pretty fast in circulation. John Gault encased these stamps to protect them and various merchants paid to have their company advertised on them.
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
Gault was pretty smart. Thanks
They were replacements for coins during the Civil War. Coins were extensively hoarded and sold for more than their face value in Union “green backs,” paper money.
They were a more expensive alternative. They were replaced by private script, Civil War tokens and fractional currency.
They appear in Europe in the first half of the Twentieth Century.
I only have two in my collection as part of my "Civil War atternative money" collection. The first is "take Ayer's pills," of course.
The second with the almost plain back was issued by the inventor, John Gault.
@billjones those are great!
How tough would a denomination “set” be of these? I hadn’t even looked for them on eBay before I bought this one (rather impulsively) earlier in the week.
I’m going to have my eyes peeled for some of the more scarce denominations moving forward.
The denominations are 1, 3, 5, 10, 12, 24 and 90. The 12, 24 and 90 range from very scarce to virtually impossible. Some sources claim that the 90 cent pieces are virtually all “manufactured.” So 1 to 10 are possible; anything above that “challenging.”