1866 No Motto Dollar Recovery

Pistareen

Hi all:

Since some folks have noticed the story in the press, the timing seems right to let the board members here know the whole story.

The long-missing 1866 No Motto dollar stolen from the Dupont family in 1967 has been recovered, thanks to a gentleman and non-collector from Maine who was honest enough to come forward. He did enough research, after realizing that he owned something rare, to know more about this coin than many experienced collectors. I was just lucky enough to get his phone call after ANR offered the only other known specimen back in September. The gentleman saw a headline in Coin World that we were offering that coin, and soon after he contacted us.

The coin will be returned to the Dupont family via the ANA, most likely next week at the Baltimore convention.

The piece is in beautiful condition (64 or 65, probably) and has been well-maintained over the years, showing only a few faint hairlines. Its lintmarks and toning match up precisely to the Breen and Judd plates of the piece (the same image, taken from the files of the ANS).

It's nice to have something like this come back into the fold after all these years!

John Kraljevich
ANR

kranky

Amazing that the coin is recovered after all this time! Even though the coin would be recognized if it ever was offered, I'm surprised it wasn't being held clandestinely in some collection. According to the report I saw, the man who came forward got it in a box of otherwise ho-hum coins from an elderly neighbor? I'd love to know what transpired from the time of the robbery until it found its way into that box.

John, you went to examine the coin, right? What goes through your mind when some stranger calls the office claiming to have a exceedingly rare coin? I think it would take a long time to be convinced!

Conder101

Unlike the previous two no motto coins recoved, this one appears to be traceable back through at least two people. Is any attempt being made to trace this coin back to find out who it was acquired from? After all I know not all of the cons stolen from DuPont have been recovered.

Pistareen

<< <i>John, you went to examine the coin, right? What goes through your mind when some stranger calls the office claiming to have a exceedingly rare coin? I think it would take a long time to be convinced! >>



Kranky -- it did take a long time to be convinced, as it is far easier (and usually more time efficient) to be dismissive towards those who claim to have extremely rare and high profile pieces. The number of phone calls increases dramatically after offering an 1804 dollar or 1943 copper from those who claim to have another and won't take "it's not real" as an answer. But this case ended differently, mostly because the guy was bright enough to do some homework (including contacting the ANS for research help). I wish coin collectors took research and education as seriously as this non-collector did!



<< <i> Is any attempt being made to trace this coin back to find out who it was acquired from? >>



Conder -- the fellow from Southern California who obtained it, Edwards Huntington Metcalf, died in 2001 -- so he's not saying where he got it. Based upon his home's utter lack of organization (as described to me from the guy who returned the coin), I'm not sure he would have recalled. I do find it interesting that all three of the No Motto coins have Southern California connections in the intermiezzo between theft and recovery.