Anybody here have info on this counterstamped 2 cent? WMOWENS

bigjpst

I came across this at a local show and my curiosity got the best of me. I don't have the Brunk book, and a search online has only turned up an 1868 Nickel with this particular counterstamp, and a listing on tokencatalog.com for an 1865 2 cent with no real information regarding rarity or value. The 2 cent was listed as Brunk M-950. Any help would be appreciated.





edited to correct date of nickel

Meltdown

TTT

lostincoins

That counterstamp is listed in Brunk. here is a link to another one Text

Treashunt

I REALLY have to get a copy of Brunk

bigjpst

<< <i>That counterstamp is listed in Brunk. here is a link to another one Text >>



Thank you, that was the nickel I found but there really isn't much info there.

yosclimber

Counterstamps are more complicated than standard coins with mintages, of course.
Rarity can be assessed to some extent by counting the known examples - about 3 in this case.
Value is tougher - supply is low, but so is demand.

One aspect which can be fun is to try to link the counterstamp with the person or business who used it and the date it was used.
For your WMOWENS, the date is 1868 or later, if they were all stamped at the same time.
WMOWENS is listed as W MOWENS , but it could also be WM OWENS .

A few months ago, Realone posted several counterstamped silver coins from his collection on this forum.
Many of them were linked to silversmiths, using the counterstamped coins as a form of advertising.

bigjpst

Thanks for all who replied. One last bump here just in case thread was missed

BillJones

Most counterstamped coins only look like damage to me, and I won't pay the price for them. I do own a couple of exceptions however ...

This was once thought to a campaign piece for Martin Van Buren's 1848 presidential run, but now it's connected to a free western land movement that was popular during the same period.





And this is British piece where they inserted a counterstamp of George III to turn a Spanish Bust piece of eight into an English coin. The phrase was, "To get King George's coin to pass they stamped the head of fool in the neck of an ass."

yosclimber

One of the many cool things in the new 8 Reales book by Robert Gurney, et al,
is that he points out the George III counterstamp die was still around for decades,
and the counterstamp was used on many later contemporary counterfeits.