John Reich's Hidden Initials
Nysoto
Posts: 3,821 ✭✭✭✭✭
The clasp on capped bust coinage has been understudied, with a 1997 article by Phil Evans in the John Reich Journal suggesting the design in the clasp was a stylized "J", and a 2007 JRJ article by Michael Atkins, suggesting a "M" in the bust quarter clasp. These articles inspired me to analyze the clasp on the 1807-1812 capped bust left $5 gold half eagles.
The half eagle internal clasp design is the same as the capped bust half dollars, though slightly smaller and rotated counterclockwise about 45 degrees. Looking at the internal design, nothing really jumps out other than a random decoration. However, if you look at the design as it would appear on Reich's capped bust working dies, and rotate the design, a "J" appears!
I had sent this info to JR News yesterday, I am posting here to tell "the rest of the story". Taking a closer look last night at the images, I almost fell out of my chair, by rotating the image more, a distinct "R" appeared!
John Reich was an engraver of immense talent but with little authoritative power. Reich and his father had previously initialed their work. Earlier US Mint coins did not have initials. Reich had a strong desire to place his "signature" on the coin, and did so discreetly with the notched 13th star. I believe he also placed hidden initials within the clasp in an inverse and rotated position, as not to be obvious.
Here is a view of the clasp as seen in a normal view of the coin, on an 1808 $5:
Here are views of the "J" and of the "R", with inverse and rotated views. This is how Reich's working dies would appear:
More analysis will be needed, but I believe this was John Reich's signature, cleverly disguising it within the clasp, and ingeniously combining JR into one symbol.
The half eagle internal clasp design is the same as the capped bust half dollars, though slightly smaller and rotated counterclockwise about 45 degrees. Looking at the internal design, nothing really jumps out other than a random decoration. However, if you look at the design as it would appear on Reich's capped bust working dies, and rotate the design, a "J" appears!
I had sent this info to JR News yesterday, I am posting here to tell "the rest of the story". Taking a closer look last night at the images, I almost fell out of my chair, by rotating the image more, a distinct "R" appeared!
John Reich was an engraver of immense talent but with little authoritative power. Reich and his father had previously initialed their work. Earlier US Mint coins did not have initials. Reich had a strong desire to place his "signature" on the coin, and did so discreetly with the notched 13th star. I believe he also placed hidden initials within the clasp in an inverse and rotated position, as not to be obvious.
Here is a view of the clasp as seen in a normal view of the coin, on an 1808 $5:
Here are views of the "J" and of the "R", with inverse and rotated views. This is how Reich's working dies would appear:
More analysis will be needed, but I believe this was John Reich's signature, cleverly disguising it within the clasp, and ingeniously combining JR into one symbol.
Robert Scot: Engraving Liberty - biography of US Mint's first chief engraver
0
Comments
TD
Senior Numismatist
Legend Rare Coin Auctions
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
President, Racine Numismatic Society 2013-2014; Variety Resource Dimes; See 6/8/12 CDN for my article on Winged Liberty Dimes; Ebay
Clearly, a notch in the 13th star was not for fame and glory. Was it a security device?
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
<< <i>Ok lets talk about this, many here believe it shows an "R", that would be one initial and suffice the theory. Here is a little exerpt from the Bass Sale:"The original dies were engraved by John Reich whose initial, R, appears on the bust truncation. " So why couldn't this be exactly what it appears to be, JR did it with other denominations why wouldn't he do it here? >>
John Reich's initials are not on any Federal coinage. What you described above must be on one of the Sansom medals that Reich engraved, but that was for a private venture.
Sunnywood
Sunnywood's Rainbow-Toned Morgans (Retired)
Sunnywood's Barber Quarters (Retired)
By the way, the pictures are of the left and right balconies of the dome.
Leo
The more qualities observed in a coin, the more desirable that coin becomes!
My Jefferson Nickel Collection
That is most likely true, but one could see what the initial R would look like to compare it to the op's theory and to his enlargement.
I have sold several Sansom medals, including a couple of high grade pieces recently, and I recall the initial being nothing more than a block letter. However, I appreciate that you are exploring the posibilities with this numismatic mystery.
<< <i>Clearly, a notch in the 13th star was not for fame and glory. Was it a security device? >>
Most of what I have read about the intent of the notched star was that Reich wanted to secretly "leave his mark" to identify the engraving as his work, knowing that it would be detected in the future as his design.
Going back over many centuries, many great artists included hidden marks and signatures as a guard against forgeries, a "security device". I don't think this was the primary reason for the notched star or any possible "JR" initials. There were actually very few contemporary counterfeit pre-1807 half dollars, but possibly Reich knew the potential for fakes and anticipated some of the many CBH contemporary counterfeits.
<< <i>Maybe without any documents supporting it one can't prove it in writing on paper but one can surely prove it in writing with theose two initials on the coin itself, what more proof do you need? >>
The problem is, the so-called initials are not provably initials rather than random squiggles, and so nothing is proven.
TD
I have mentioned before here that I have a silversmithing hobby, and hand engraving is tough. Looking closely at the internal clasp design, it is amazing the precision and continuity that was maintained among hub changes and different denominations, especially with the very small size of the design.
Reich did not have to include a clasp in his 1807 designs. Remember Reich's new direct employment was as assistant engraver under cheif engraver Robert Scot, and there was no guarantee on how long this employment would last. Reich revised all US coin designs. The worst thing that could happen to a great artist would be having their work credited to someone else. He was proud of his work and made his initials the centerpiece, disguised as an ornate clasp. Reich knew his secret would eventualy be unfolded, in fact, he wanted this. He probably did not expect it would take excactly 200 years!
Of course, the above could be a bunch of BS. The likeness of the J and R could be a random engraving anomoly for both 1807 denominations, accidentaly done by the most talented engraver of the time period. Oh yeah, the 1815 "M" in the clasp (his middle initial) was another engraving accident, a random squibble
Seriously, it would help to have high grade and well struck inverse images of CBH design #1, and sub-designs #2 and #3, the same with early capped bust dimes, along with inverse images of the clasp of 1815 quarters, in high magnification.