The Jefferson Davis "Dime"......interesting!
ambro51
Posts: 13,836 ✭✭✭✭✭
I stumbled upon this while doing an internet search. Never heard of it before, and seems that there are 15 or so of these in existence. A rather crude looking piece, but one that certainly is interesting from the perspective of CSA coinage.
(enjoy)
1861 Confederate States of America. Jefferson Davis "dime." Choice VF.
Fresh from the auction block, this piece was a highlight of the fabulous collection formed over the years by John J. Ford, Jr. From the same engraving hand as the "Beauregard dime," this piece is of related genre.
Appearing as Lot 330 in the Stack's Ford I sale, October 14, 2003, the piece was catalogued as follows: Choice Very Fine. Very rare: fewer than 15 different specimens are thought to survive. The obverse of this enigmatic medalet bears the bust of President Jefferson Davis facing to the right. Around is inscribed JEFFERSON.DAVIS. Below are the engraver's initials, C.R. The reverse bears a laurel wreath with the date 1861 within and the legend CSA FIRST PRESIDENT around. The edge is reeded. The piece was once looped at the top for wearing as this seems to be the way they were made. Apparently made of silver and at 17.8 mm is about the diameter of a U.S. dime, which is how the piece got its name. The origin of the piece is obscure but since John Work Garrett bought his example from the June, 1886 Maris sale we know that they were made within 25 years of their date at the very latest. The fact that the engraver of the Jefferson Davis dime also cut the portrait die for the 1861 Beauregard dime, together with the fact that the Beauregard dime was first mentioned in 1868 in the American Journal of Numismatics, strongly suggests that the Jefferson Davis dime also dates back to 1868 and was part of a set of medalets honoring heroes of the Confederate States of America. John Ford noted in Numisma (November-December 1956) that a Jefferson Davis dime exists in gold (first described by Frossard in Numisma May 1879) and stated he thought the issue had been struck in Paris. It is unlikely that the Jefferson Davis dime was issued by or even for the Confederacy. The 1861 Confederate half dollar is the only coin the CSA is known to have struck and the 1861 CSA cent is the only coin believed to have been privately made for the Confederacy. The Jefferson Davis dime may have been made in 1861 in Paris as an ornament to be worn by those supporting the Old South's cause at a time when the fortunes of the rebels were at their height."
To add to this description would be gilding the lily, so we will simply mention that this, the Beauregard dime, and the suite of Confederate cents, come together to represent an offering in a single sale that may have no counterpart elsewhere, not in the Ford sales, and not likely to occur in the future.
From Stack's sale of the John J. Ford Collection Part I, October 2003, Lot 330.
(enjoy)
1861 Confederate States of America. Jefferson Davis "dime." Choice VF.
Fresh from the auction block, this piece was a highlight of the fabulous collection formed over the years by John J. Ford, Jr. From the same engraving hand as the "Beauregard dime," this piece is of related genre.
Appearing as Lot 330 in the Stack's Ford I sale, October 14, 2003, the piece was catalogued as follows: Choice Very Fine. Very rare: fewer than 15 different specimens are thought to survive. The obverse of this enigmatic medalet bears the bust of President Jefferson Davis facing to the right. Around is inscribed JEFFERSON.DAVIS. Below are the engraver's initials, C.R. The reverse bears a laurel wreath with the date 1861 within and the legend CSA FIRST PRESIDENT around. The edge is reeded. The piece was once looped at the top for wearing as this seems to be the way they were made. Apparently made of silver and at 17.8 mm is about the diameter of a U.S. dime, which is how the piece got its name. The origin of the piece is obscure but since John Work Garrett bought his example from the June, 1886 Maris sale we know that they were made within 25 years of their date at the very latest. The fact that the engraver of the Jefferson Davis dime also cut the portrait die for the 1861 Beauregard dime, together with the fact that the Beauregard dime was first mentioned in 1868 in the American Journal of Numismatics, strongly suggests that the Jefferson Davis dime also dates back to 1868 and was part of a set of medalets honoring heroes of the Confederate States of America. John Ford noted in Numisma (November-December 1956) that a Jefferson Davis dime exists in gold (first described by Frossard in Numisma May 1879) and stated he thought the issue had been struck in Paris. It is unlikely that the Jefferson Davis dime was issued by or even for the Confederacy. The 1861 Confederate half dollar is the only coin the CSA is known to have struck and the 1861 CSA cent is the only coin believed to have been privately made for the Confederacy. The Jefferson Davis dime may have been made in 1861 in Paris as an ornament to be worn by those supporting the Old South's cause at a time when the fortunes of the rebels were at their height."
To add to this description would be gilding the lily, so we will simply mention that this, the Beauregard dime, and the suite of Confederate cents, come together to represent an offering in a single sale that may have no counterpart elsewhere, not in the Ford sales, and not likely to occur in the future.
From Stack's sale of the John J. Ford Collection Part I, October 2003, Lot 330.
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