Does anyone own a Feuchtwanger cent?

dan1ecu

What are these considered – patterns? They seem relatively cheap. David Lawrence has a couple for sale in the $300-$400 range. Does anyone know if they actually circulated?

Dan

jamesfsm

Yes, they circulated widely.

I have owned them slabbed in 64 and 65. At that level, they're neat looking coins.

kieferscoins

F-Vf can be found for under $75 and look neat. Their history adds to the coin.

Cameron Kiefer

dan1ecu

Hi, Jamesfsm –

They must be beautiful in gem condition (expensive, too?). I wonder if there are many different varieties that were made. Do you know how they were minted? Was there a private mint that made them? Could they have been minted in Germany and shipped to the U.S.? Anyway, they seem very reasonable compared to many types of patterns.

Dan

dan1ecu

Hello, Cameron – $75 is really reasonable! Kind of a poor-man’s pattern coin...

Dan

dbldie55

My dealer has one. It is sort of neat and on the "list" for a future purchase. If I run out tomorrow, maybe I can answer yes here.

danglen

I bought one out in Denver last summer. Just sent it off to ANACS to get it graded. The coin I bought had very high relief, so it makes for a pretty interesting coin.

kieferscoins

Dan, I picked up a problem free VF for $50.00 at the last Long Beach show. There are usually a few on ebay for sale in different grades. Search under "Feuchtwanger Cents."

Cameron Kiefer

berylcoin

My local dealer had a holed Feuchtwanger in EF+ for 40 bucks a few months ago--cool coin in a lot of ways. Sometimes I wish I'd bought it. It's a coin/pattern I'll get some day.

BC

numobri

I gave one away in a coin swap awhile ago,about a good,there kinda cool.

Gemini

Doctor Louis Feutchwanger introduced German silver or Feutchwangers composition as it was also called back then in the United States in 1831.

He operated a drug store business in New York where he attempted to exploit his new metal.

After importing the metal from Germany he produced it here hmself and manufactured many household items using this alloy of copper zinc nickel and iron with low percentages of sulphur cobalt silver and arsenic. Among these items were knives forks spoons ladies scissors sugar tongs napkin rings childrens mugs and a variety of other articles.

He also issued store cards with his name and business address as well as many one cent and three cent tokens during the Hard Times panic of 1837. The three cent pieces being scarcer.

He tried and urged the US government to use his new metal for coinage but after much testing it was found there were problems with keeping the mixture constant in the crucible where certain elements would constantly have to be added to keep the alloyed mixture constant. In large quantities needed for the production coinage this proved time consuming and was found impractical by the Mint.
It was also felt that its close resemblance to real silver would cause confusion with other silver coins in circulation and his metal was finally turned down.

Trime

No... but I bid on the 3C lots in the recent B&M auction and was unsuccessful. They were very nice specimens but apparently highly sought by others. Expensive.

Russ

There's an NGC MS65 on Teletrade Sunday.

Russ, NCNE

Dukie101

I have one in AU50 pictured attached--I hope.

lordmarcovan

I have a decent one (holed, of course) on the Holey Coin Vest.

Lakesammman

Check out Eagle Eye Rare Coins - they are getting into this area and have 4 on line now - $175 to $450. They've added civil war tokens too.

MICHAELDIXON

Somewhere around here, I have one in Fine. It's been so long since I've seen it, I can't remember what it looks like.

ClausUrch

Link

Take your pick!!!

keets

hello dan

i was at the cleveland show today and we had quite a few laughs about the odd composition cents. me and clevegreg both noticed them in a dealers showcase at about the same time. he had 3 SEGS and one in the new NCS attribution holders and they were all in mint state but the labels were taped over. i was struck by the fact that it was such a high relief coin, and after talking with a dealer we ended up with the same info that Gemini posted regarding their history.

the laughs came because we both remembered this thread and the strange name though neither of us knew squat about the patterns. and try to say Feuchtwanger real fast 5 times................

al h.