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A Scott Confederate Half Dollar Medal
BillJones
Posts: 33,481 ✭✭✭✭✭
My big purchase from the latest Baltimore show was the Scott medal of the 1861 Confederate Half Dollar. I confess that when I was a dealer I bought and sold one of these pieces, in better condition, for a fraction of the price I paid in the space of about 15 minutes. I wish I had kept it, but I was a dealer and it was more than 15 years ago. At any rate here is the piece.
In the late 1870s B.F. Taylor, who had been the chief coiner at the New Orleans Mint, sold one of the four original Confederate half dollars and the Confederate die to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania coin dealer, Ebenezer Mason. Mason then sold the coin and the die to the J.W. Scott Company of New York, NY.
In an effort to get more value out their purchase the Scott company decided to use the Confederate die to make the so-called Confederate Half Dollar restrikes. The Scott company bought 500, 1861-O half dollars, which happens to be a common date in the series, planed off the reverses, struck the newly blanked space with the Confederate die. Each piece was placed in a brass pan when the reverse was struck. The resulting pieces had a faithful reproduction of the Confederate Half Dollar on the reverse, but the Seated Liberty on the obverse was flattened. The bonus from this result was that experienced numismatists would be able to distinguish between the original coins and the restrikes quite easily.
Before they made the half dollars, however, Scott decided to strike 500 medals in white metal with an alternative reverse that gave a brief history of the Confederate Half Dollar. They did this because the Confederate die, which was not that well made from the beginning, had some rust and some die chips. The concern was that the die might break down during the production of the half dollars, which were harder to strike. The medals would be easier in the die because they were made of softer white metal.
In is interesting to note that the Confederate die came through the striking of the medals unharmed, but the Scott die was either broken from the beginning or broke during the striking of the 500 medals. The die break on my piece begins lightly on the "I" in "ORIGNINAL," becomes very pronounced on the right side of the "N" and runs around to the "D" in "ORDER." I would be interested to know if anyone has seen one of these pieces in an earlier or perfect die state. The other piece in the Stacks' - Bowers auction as well as the medal pictured in the Red Book shows this same die break pattern.
For comparison purposes here are photos of a Confederate restrike half dollar.
In the late 1870s B.F. Taylor, who had been the chief coiner at the New Orleans Mint, sold one of the four original Confederate half dollars and the Confederate die to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania coin dealer, Ebenezer Mason. Mason then sold the coin and the die to the J.W. Scott Company of New York, NY.
In an effort to get more value out their purchase the Scott company decided to use the Confederate die to make the so-called Confederate Half Dollar restrikes. The Scott company bought 500, 1861-O half dollars, which happens to be a common date in the series, planed off the reverses, struck the newly blanked space with the Confederate die. Each piece was placed in a brass pan when the reverse was struck. The resulting pieces had a faithful reproduction of the Confederate Half Dollar on the reverse, but the Seated Liberty on the obverse was flattened. The bonus from this result was that experienced numismatists would be able to distinguish between the original coins and the restrikes quite easily.
Before they made the half dollars, however, Scott decided to strike 500 medals in white metal with an alternative reverse that gave a brief history of the Confederate Half Dollar. They did this because the Confederate die, which was not that well made from the beginning, had some rust and some die chips. The concern was that the die might break down during the production of the half dollars, which were harder to strike. The medals would be easier in the die because they were made of softer white metal.
In is interesting to note that the Confederate die came through the striking of the medals unharmed, but the Scott die was either broken from the beginning or broke during the striking of the 500 medals. The die break on my piece begins lightly on the "I" in "ORIGNINAL," becomes very pronounced on the right side of the "N" and runs around to the "D" in "ORDER." I would be interested to know if anyone has seen one of these pieces in an earlier or perfect die state. The other piece in the Stacks' - Bowers auction as well as the medal pictured in the Red Book shows this same die break pattern.
For comparison purposes here are photos of a Confederate restrike half dollar.
Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
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Comments
Steve
Sweet!
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Heritage sold the piece that Jefferson Davis owned for $881,250 at the most recent FUN show auction.
Stacks' - Bowers just sold one in the Kendall Sale for $646,250. I know that one went to a dealer because I saw it on the bourse the next day.
If you don't buy that one from the dealer you might have to wait a while. The other two pieces are impounded in the ANS and Eric P. Newman collections.
I appreciate it.
"If I say something in the woods and my wife isn't there to hear it.....am I still wrong?"
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