What's so cool about THIS civil war token?? (Answer)

Lakesammman

Here's another great coin. Let me know if you can tell why it's so interesting. Closeups later.

Russ

Die crack?

Russ, NCNE

shylock

I like these mystery CWT threads...I see a major die crack, what looks like remnants of an overstruck coin's denticles along the rim, and something I can't make out in the reverse fields under the left portion of the scale.

lordmarcovan

"Gruber" is the Gruber of Clark, Gruber, & Co., maybe?



BTW, that Flyer pattern in your sig line is major eye candy...

kyleknap

Struck over half or large cent?

Neat piece.

Kyle

shylock

What is one "dram", anyway?

goose3

ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY AWESOME COIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

lordmarcovan

I think a "dram" was a unit of liquid measure. (Which would make sense, it being an apothecary token). I've seen old medicine bottles with measures in drams.

Come to think of it, I guess my earlier guess about Gruber must be wrong, unless he also happened to be a druggist?


(Nope. That was "E.H. Gruber". I just checked online.)

shylock

That's lettering under the scale, the placement could be ONE CENT, and the denticles have a FE look to them. It couldn't be an 1856, could it?

tjkillian

Struck over a regular indian cent?

Tom

Lakesammman

I hope this shows the feature better - what do you think now??

lordmarcovan

Dang- can't see it. But that's probably this monitor, and the bright flourescent lighting in the room. (I'm at work).

kyleknap

Struck over a Fleagle!

WOW...that IS cool!

mbbiker

Is there a date on that flying eagle?

Lakesammman

Well, Shylock and Kyleknap get the prize! (Well, the satisfaction of being correct).

Struck over a Fleagle!

Is that a correct numismatic contraction of flying eagle??

It's struck over a 1858 small letter flying eagle cent. The 1863 overstrikes are common. Other dates are much rarer. A 1859 recently sold for nearly 2K at the Heritage auction in LB. A 1856 overstrike has never been found. The range of known dates is 1857 to 1864. Later dates are unknown as it would only prove that the coin was made after CWT's were outlawed.

(I have contributed nothing original to this discussion - all info. provided to me by books and/or Bret at EERC).

Goldog63

<< <i>That's lettering under the scale, the placement could be ONE CENT, and the denticles have a FE look to them. It couldn't be an 1856, could it? >>



Maybe you could get the collectors club quarterly free submission.

coppercoins

Definately struck over an FE, and a nice one at that. Looks like it was in pretty good shape when they overstruck it.

coppercoins

<< <i>(I have contributed nothing original to this discussion - all info. provided to me by books and/or Bret at EERC). >>



That's hogwash! You DID provide something original to the discussion - unless you stole the images and was told to pst it here. You sharing your knowledge with people is what's original about it. You present it in such a way as to make people think, make them take a close look at and appreciate some tokens that they otherwise may never see, especially in the grades you are sharing them in. Don't discount the importance of wat you are doing here. It may be all in fun for you, but you are breeding thought, and that breeds collectors. I have wanted to get into CWTs for a long time, but have been apprehensive because of finances and the fact that I am already armpits deep into another specialty....but what you are doing makes me all the more interested. I say kudos to you and a job extremely well done!

Lakesammman

PS - It's advertising a pharmacist or apothacary, the weight being one dram. That is the reason for the scales. Here are the English weight equivalents.

avoirdupois weights

16 drams = 1 ounce
16 ounces = 1 pound
7 pounds = 1 clove
14 pounds = 1 stone
28 pounds = 1 tod
112 pounds = 1 hundredweight
364 pounds = 1 sack
2240 pounds = 1 ton
2 stones = 1 quarter
4 quarters = 1 hundredweight
20 hundredweight = 1 ton

shylock

That's a great token Lakes, and I agree with Coppercoins about your presentation. Ever see the movie "Blow Up"? -- you had me as obsessed as John Travalta, blowing this up in Photoshop and spinning it in every possible direction.

In your closeup I can see the faint outlines of the tailfeathers on the right side.

shylock

PS: Lakes actually supplied a clue without intending to. I started comparing his CWT with the pattern in his signature right below it