Bashlow Continental Dollar So-Called Dollars

Zoins

When I first started getting into SCDs, an interesting piece I ran across was the Continental Dollar replica originally created by Professor Montroville Wilson Dickeson. Subsequently, the dies changed hands several times and restrikes were made by Captain John White Haseltine, Quentin David Bowers, and Robert Bashlow. The Bashlow pieces are reasonably common, however, I recently ran across Bashlow's letter and order form for the first time which I couldn't resist picking up to share. The medal looks like it could have been made yesterday, the letter not so much

Have any of you ever seen this before or collect these types of letters / forms? I think these are pretty cool. I have one other letter (from Admiral Chester Nimitz) in this thread.

ricko

Very interesting... do not collect them, but the letter adds history to the item...Cheers, RickO

CaptHenway

Very nice. Had not seen that order form.

Edited to add: Shouldn't that be "86 year old dies," assuming this was 1962?

Zoins

I believe these were offered in 1962.

I just ran across another letter to be on the look out for. Hopefully the buyer can scan in the entire letter for us

CaptHenway

Three cents postage! I love it!

Zoins

<< <i>Three cents postage! I love it! >>



The entire package is historic

crypto79

Notice how back then they were careful not to actually claim the original cent was originally struck by the confederacy where now the legend has morphed to state the originals were somehow connected to the south. This is the danger of oral history filling in where the history books leave off and why fantasy issues should always have copy on them some where IMO (looking at you DCarr)

CaptHenway

The fact that the Bashlow silver strikings with the S on the reverse die are not mentioned in the Continental Dollar flyer must mean that the silver pieces were struck later.

Zoins

<< <i>Notice how back then they were careful not to actually claim the original cent was originally struck by the confederacy where now the legend has morphed to state the originals were somehow connected to the south. This is the danger of oral history filling in where the history books leave off and why fantasy issues should always have copy on them some where IMO (looking at you DCarr) >>



It could be construed from Bashlow's letter form and envelope that the cents were actually from the Confederacy. The letter and envelope call the piece the "Confederate Cent" and don't say who struck the originals at all, just that Haseltine make some earlier restrikes. What's not said in the letter and envelope is the story for the Confederate Cents recounted by Haseltine has some unsupported claims that Lovett made them at the request of CSA representatives.

Dan is much more straight forward on his pieces by placing disclaimers on his website and sometimes on the coins themselves, e.g. "Not Legal Tender." That way there's no speculation necessary. However, given the tendency of websites to disappear, it might be worthwhile to have his web catalog periodically compiled to PDF form for posterity.