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Need some help - Lesher Referendum Dollar

Back in 1988 when I was stationed in Germany I found myself at a German coin shop to look through their loose silver for possible bargains, and what I found was the bargain of a lifetime...

Long story short, I paid basically silver melt for a Zerbe 2, A.B. Bumpstead Referendum Dollar "1900 Pike's Peak Silver Mine" in AU condition. I honestly didn't know what it was at the time, and bought it on a whim. When I got it back to my apartment, I cracked open my Red Book because I thought I remembered seeing some octagonal coins listed near the back of the guide...and there it was.

I ended up sending the coin to the states for a healthy check (compared to what I paid for it). I probably would have kept it if I weren't a young airman with bills to pay - the money meant more at the time than having a coin that was outside my interest area. I could be kicking myself in the pants every day for letting go of that little prize, but the past is the past and I live in the here and now. I probably also shouldn't have let go of the 1794 large cent with original luster I bought over there either...but that's a story for another day.

My question...

I found the website on Lesher dollars and looked it up in the census. For those who may not know, many of the coins were individually serial numbered with punches (mine was serial #791), and there was some information in the census on that coin. I tried to contact the proprietor of the website with no luck - the email came back undeliverable.

What I want is to:

a. Add my having owned the coin to its provenance - I'm sure somebody at some point in the future would appreciate knowing that their piece was saved from the smelter in Germany by a young airman in 1988.
b. See if the current owner of the coin might have photos (or could take photos) of the coin for me to have. That coin is a part of my collecting history, and the blurry crap photos I got at the time weren't good enough.

Can any one here help at all?
C. D. Daughtrey, NLG
The Lincoln cent store:
http://www.lincolncent.com

My numismatic art work:
http://www.cdaughtrey.com
USAF veteran, 1986-1996 :: support our troops - the American way.
image

Comments

  • kiyotekiyote Posts: 5,568 ✭✭✭✭✭
    First off, thanks for your service!

    Secondly, that sounds like a fantastic pickup if genuine. *Any* photo at all would be better than none. Even a scanner at the library would do in a pinch. Any chance of doing something like that?
    "I'll split the atom! I am the fifth dimension! I am the eighth wonder of the world!" -Gef the talking mongoose.
  • JGnumismaticsJGnumismatics Posts: 986 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Back in 1988 when I was stationed in Germany I found myself at a German coin shop to look through their loose silver for possible bargains, and what I found was the bargain of a lifetime...

    Long story short, I paid basically silver melt for a Zerbe 2, A.B. Bumpstead Referendum Dollar "1900 Pike's Peak Silver Mine" in AU condition. I honestly didn't know what it was at the time, and bought it on a whim. When I got it back to my apartment, I cracked open my Red Book because I thought I remembered seeing some octagonal coins listed near the back of the guide...and there it was.

    I ended up sending the coin to the states for a healthy check (compared to what I paid for it). I probably would have kept it if I weren't a young airman with bills to pay - the money meant more at the time than having a coin that was outside my interest area. I could be kicking myself in the pants every day for letting go of that little prize, but the past is the past and I live in the here and now. I probably also shouldn't have let go of the 1794 large cent with original luster I bought over there either...but that's a story for another day.

    My question...

    I found the website on Lesher dollars and looked it up in the census. For those who may not know, many of the coins were individually serial numbered with punches (mine was serial #791), and there was some information in the census on that coin. I tried to contact the proprietor of the website with no luck - the email came back undeliverable.

    What I want is to:

    a. Add my having owned the coin to its provenance - I'm sure somebody at some point in the future would appreciate knowing that their piece was saved from the smelter in Germany by a young airman in 1988.
    b. See if the current owner of the coin might have photos (or could take photos) of the coin for me to have. That coin is a part of my collecting history, and the blurry crap photos I got at the time weren't good enough.

    Can any one here help at all? >>



    Thanks for your service! Also, I had no idea about Lesher dollars or their story before I met Dave Wnuck on here as DaveWcoins I believe. He has great insight and should be of some help I'd think

    Good Luck

    Jake
    JG Numismatics
    Check out:
    coinsinnh.com
    or just type in JGnumismatics into google
    PCGS/NGC Authorized Dealer
    CAC Authorized Dealer
    ANA Member
    CSNS Member
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    Roundtable Trading member

    References: USMarine6,Commoncents05,Timbuk3, lunytune2,Goldcoin98, and many more

  • brendanlambrendanlam Posts: 662 ✭✭✭
    hi, the coin you mentioned once sold on " HNAI Medals and Tokens Long Beach Auction Catalog #1100 , items 29555". if you do google search, you will see it.
  • brendanlambrendanlam Posts: 662 ✭✭✭
  • Talk to member WEISS as he just posted on in this thread : Text
  • coppercoinscoppercoins Posts: 6,084 ✭✭✭
    Brendanlam - That's it! That's the one. I remember the 9 being lower than the other digits now that I see it again. I used to own that piece right there! VERY cool!

    kiyote - Not sure how a scanner would do me any good since I sold that piece 26 years ago. Thanks for the post anyway.

    Now I wonder if there's any chance of acquiring larger high resolution images of it, and possibly adding to its provenance??
    C. D. Daughtrey, NLG
    The Lincoln cent store:
    http://www.lincolncent.com

    My numismatic art work:
    http://www.cdaughtrey.com
    USAF veteran, 1986-1996 :: support our troops - the American way.
    image
  • goldbuggoldbug Posts: 33 ✭✭
    If you go to Lesher dollars.com and click on census, at the bottom of the page there is a link to "contribute here." Put all your info in the email and Chris Marchase can update the census accordingly.
  • coppercoinscoppercoins Posts: 6,084 ✭✭✭


    << <i>If you go to Lesher dollars.com and click on census, at the bottom of the page there is a link to "contribute here." Put all your info in the email and Chris Marchase can update the census accordingly. >>



    When I click on the "contribute" link all I get is the same link to an email address that I have already had returned as undeliverable.
    C. D. Daughtrey, NLG
    The Lincoln cent store:
    http://www.lincolncent.com

    My numismatic art work:
    http://www.cdaughtrey.com
    USAF veteran, 1986-1996 :: support our troops - the American way.
    image
  • WeissWeiss Posts: 9,935 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Unfortunately that's the email address I used in my correspondence, too. Maybe he's put the site in mothballs. That's a shame, because it's really well done.
    We are like children who look at print and see a serpent in the last letter but one, and a sword in the last.
    --Severian the Lame

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