You may find it cool....or you may think me nuts but...
kryptonitecomics
Posts: 9,185 ✭
As a Morgan dollar collector I just had to pick this up when I say it on Ebay last week 
Since I can't afford to own an original mint sealed bag....nor could a probably find one even if I had the money...buying an original US Mint tag from a New Orleans Mint bag of Morgan Silver dollars with the lead seal seemed like a pretty cool addition to my collection
Since I can't afford to own an original mint sealed bag....nor could a probably find one even if I had the money...buying an original US Mint tag from a New Orleans Mint bag of Morgan Silver dollars with the lead seal seemed like a pretty cool addition to my collection
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But who says that is a bad thing?
QN
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<< <i>Not that I can see....so all I know is its dates back too at least 1904
If you could find out when Purcell was working at the mint, you could narrow down the time frame when this tag was used.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
<< <i>
<< <i>Not that I can see....so all I know is its dates back too at least 1904
If you could find out when Purcell was working at the mint, you could narrow down the time frame when this tag was used. >>
THAT WAS MY FIRST THOUGHT....
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
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You're in good company, Shane.
``https://ebay.us/m/KxolR5
<< <i>Interesting, it makes one wonder how such and item survived so well. There are many possibilities, but being 'just a tag', I would say it has survived due to the nature of collectors to 'save everything' hobby related. Cheers, RickO >>
The sellers story was that a friend owned an original bag of Morgans and eventually he opened it and then gave this tag to the current seller which certainly could be the case
I already tried to due a search for Purcell related to the us mint in phili, the New Orleans mint and I also tried to find a list of assistant treasurers for the US mint and I couldn't find anything that tied it all together. I also can't figure out what the $850.30 stands for unless that was the value of the silver in the bag at the time??? I assume back then that face value was worth around the melt value of the coins....but that's purely speculation on my part.
I pulled a chart of historical silver prices per ounce and in 1904 it was rougly .61 cents and ounce so that match wouldn't work out if it was from that year. An original bag of Morgan silver dollars would have contained 723.4 ounces of silver so if the $850.30 refered to the silver value in the bag that would mean that the price of silver was $1.18 an ounce at the time this notation on the tag was made. Again referring to the chart I found on kitco, that would place the date around 1879 when silver was roughly $1.14 an oz. I could be way off base but it is fun to speculate
WARNING: If so, I may have to try to talk you out of it.
UPDATE: Just as I suspected Uncle James' signature looked nothing like the handwriting on the tag. Oh well, would have truely been an amazing "coin"--cidence.
Still a way cool item.
<< <i>My great, great uncle James Purcell ran a freighting service out of New Orleans in the 1880s and 90s. I wonder if perhaps that is his signature accepting the amount prior to shipping. I'll have to check the family Bible (and other letters) tonight and see if I can find a matching signature. I doubt that it is, but how cool if it were!
WARNING: If so, I may have to try to talk you out of it. >>
Kryptonite - If he can prove that is his great uncle, you are gonna have to give him that tag
<< <i>TradeDollarNut, QuarterNut.... and now kryptonitecomics'nuts.
You're in good company, Shane. >>
I'm hurt and offended
Larry L.
<< <i>As a Morgan dollar collector I just had to pick this up when I say it on Ebay last week
Since I can't afford to own an original mint sealed bag....nor could a probably find one even if I had the money...buying an original US Mint tag from a New Orleans Mint bag of Morgan Silver dollars with the lead seal seemed like a pretty cool addition to my collection
A: Way kewl!
B: Although there may have been an internal entry somewhere as to the melt value of a bag of silver dollars at a given time, I cannot see them writing it on a tag for a bag of 1,000 silver dollars. It was irrelevant. 1,000 silvers dollars were worth $1,000.00.
C: My best WAG: It was used for a bag of assay coins that contained $850.30 face of mixed denominations, including at least three dimes. Whoever made up the shipment just used a standard 1,000 coin dollar bag tag and didn't bother to cross off the pre-printed information. If the records still exist that record assay coins sent, you might be able to find an entry for $850.30.
TD
<< <i>One thing I was thinking about was the $850.30 may have been the amount actually owed (including shipping, extra charges, etc) at the time of delivery. Just basing that off of the proximity of the signature with the "Collect Charges" stamp. Almost like signing to verify that you paid the full amount. That's my WAG. >>
That was my first thought, but it would have to have been the charge for shipping a very large number of bags, and I can't see them attaching the note to just one bag. Could easily get lost in the crowd.
TD
<< <i>
<< <i>One thing I was thinking about was the $850.30 may have been the amount actually owed (including shipping, extra charges, etc) at the time of delivery. Just basing that off of the proximity of the signature with the "Collect Charges" stamp. Almost like signing to verify that you paid the full amount. That's my WAG. >>
That was my first thought, but it would have to have been the charge for shipping a very large number of bags, and I can't see them attaching the note to just one bag. Could easily get lost in the crowd.
TD >>
Maybe they were building paypal fees into the shipping costs?
You should see some of the original Carson City Mint documents that I've got stashed away. Way cool that kind of stuff.
Are those bags sewn or string-and-lead sealed or what?
TD