This is why I enjoy collecting
jonathanb
Posts: 3,725 ✭✭✭✭✭
I went to a local auction today. With the internet, there's really no such thing as a local auction anymore, but at least it meant that I got to look at the lots before I bid.
This auction had huge lots of exonumia -- dozens to hundreds of pieces with rarity and value all over the map. Just exactly the sort of thing that I drool over.
Of course I had dreams of scoring big. Unsurprisingly, that didn't happen. One dealer was in the room (a big eBay seller whose name I recognized when I talked to him afterwards) and another one the phone, and they probably spent upwards of $60K between them. For anyone not keeping track, that's a huge number for an exonumia auction. They'll probably make money, too. Maybe even a lot of money. If I was trying to make a living at this, I would have fought harder for the lots I knew were good, even though I didn't really care about the stuff that was in them.
The surprising part was that I went into the sale with my eye on three lots that I wanted for myself because they were super cool, and I walked out of the sale with all three.
This is one piece that I knew was super cool... and I sure I glad that I got it because I thought it was cool even when I was missing two-thirds of the story.
One of the lots had a bunch of engraved pieces, including some larger ones (dollars and half dollars). Most of the engraved pieces were dimes, which are normally common and normally boring. This one got a "huh" as I went through them. Engraved bust dimes are not common, even though they don't really have much premium, especially on a low-grade piece where the engraving has wiped out the date:
If anyone is reading this post who collects early dimes, you may have already put on the brakes from just that obverse picture. I don't collect dimes, but even I slammed to a stop when I saw the reverse:
That's not just a Draped Bust dime -- It's a Draped Bust SMALL EAGLE dime, the very earliest design type, produced only for two years in 1796 and 1797. How cool is that?
Still a shame that they took out the date to do the engraving. But hey, you can't have everything. This is where I was when I bid on and won the lot. Things got more interesting when I got home...
Thanks to differential toning on this totally original, un-messed-with piece, once I got this into good lighting I could make out the faint shadow of a 6 below the bust. That means that this is a 1796 piece, the very first year that they were produced. In fact, I'm pretty sure that this is a JR-5 variety (does any expert think they have a better idea?), which is one of the scarcest varieties for 1796 dimes. How cool is that?
Finally, just because I could, I punched the two dates into Google and I got a hit. Hannah Bartlett was born on March 25, 1782 and died on Nov. 12, 1802 to Hannah and Dr. Joseph Bartlett of Salisbury, NH. Total match for both dates, the initials on the bust, and the cryptic "Sal'y" in the engraved legends. How cool is THAT?
So yes, I'm a little sad that the $20,000 lots got bid up up to their true value by other folks, but I'm super happy that this one was left for me!
This auction had huge lots of exonumia -- dozens to hundreds of pieces with rarity and value all over the map. Just exactly the sort of thing that I drool over.
Of course I had dreams of scoring big. Unsurprisingly, that didn't happen. One dealer was in the room (a big eBay seller whose name I recognized when I talked to him afterwards) and another one the phone, and they probably spent upwards of $60K between them. For anyone not keeping track, that's a huge number for an exonumia auction. They'll probably make money, too. Maybe even a lot of money. If I was trying to make a living at this, I would have fought harder for the lots I knew were good, even though I didn't really care about the stuff that was in them.
The surprising part was that I went into the sale with my eye on three lots that I wanted for myself because they were super cool, and I walked out of the sale with all three.
This is one piece that I knew was super cool... and I sure I glad that I got it because I thought it was cool even when I was missing two-thirds of the story.
One of the lots had a bunch of engraved pieces, including some larger ones (dollars and half dollars). Most of the engraved pieces were dimes, which are normally common and normally boring. This one got a "huh" as I went through them. Engraved bust dimes are not common, even though they don't really have much premium, especially on a low-grade piece where the engraving has wiped out the date:
If anyone is reading this post who collects early dimes, you may have already put on the brakes from just that obverse picture. I don't collect dimes, but even I slammed to a stop when I saw the reverse:
That's not just a Draped Bust dime -- It's a Draped Bust SMALL EAGLE dime, the very earliest design type, produced only for two years in 1796 and 1797. How cool is that?
Still a shame that they took out the date to do the engraving. But hey, you can't have everything. This is where I was when I bid on and won the lot. Things got more interesting when I got home...
Thanks to differential toning on this totally original, un-messed-with piece, once I got this into good lighting I could make out the faint shadow of a 6 below the bust. That means that this is a 1796 piece, the very first year that they were produced. In fact, I'm pretty sure that this is a JR-5 variety (does any expert think they have a better idea?), which is one of the scarcest varieties for 1796 dimes. How cool is that?
Finally, just because I could, I punched the two dates into Google and I got a hit. Hannah Bartlett was born on March 25, 1782 and died on Nov. 12, 1802 to Hannah and Dr. Joseph Bartlett of Salisbury, NH. Total match for both dates, the initials on the bust, and the cryptic "Sal'y" in the engraved legends. How cool is THAT?
So yes, I'm a little sad that the $20,000 lots got bid up up to their true value by other folks, but I'm super happy that this one was left for me!
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Comments
That is incredibly interesting !
High five Jon !
The only way this story could get better is if you located the living descendants of Dr. Bartlett and his wife and shared this with them.
"Everything is on its way to somewhere. Everything." - George Malley, Phenomenon
http://www.american-legacy-coins.com
mark
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......
zap
102 capped bust half dollars - 100 die marriages
BHNC #198
This link should take you to a copy of her birth certificate. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6Q1W-FV?mode=g&wc=MJ7J-JWL:1042626701?cc=1542861&cc=1542861
Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners.
That was an enjoyable read! Good for you......congrats on a very cool coin
mark
+1
What a cool piece of history found while spending what sounds like a very enjoyable day.
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
This would have been a great auction to attend. The catalog photos definitely weren't good enough to make appropriately sized bids online. It definitely made those large lots "ripe for the pickin'" for those that had the chance to see them during lot viewing.
This was an especially interesting auction for those that are familiar with HTTs, CWTs, or Conder tokens. However, it seemed like there was material from all other areas of exonumia as well. Looked like it was a good auction. Glad you had a good time!
And congrats on getting the three lots you wanted. What else did you end up with, if you don't mind my asking.
familysearch.org links to findagrave.com to show her siblings:
Parents:
Joseph Bartlett (1751 - 1800)
Hannah Colcord Bartlett (1754 - 1839)
Siblings:
Joseph Bartlett (1775 - 1814)*
Samuel Colcord Bartlett (1780 - 1867)*
Hannah Bartlett (1782 - 1802)
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-...page=gr&GRid=154733775
So it's tragic to lose a daughter at age 20,
but her brothers lived to age 39 and 87.
One of her brothers' sons was the 8th president of Dartmouth.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-...?page=gr&GRid=63792999
We might guess that 4 of these tokens might have been made for the 4 surviving members of the family?
And then passed down until people didn't remember what HB stood for.
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
I love Salisbury. Some of my favorite spots to fly fish for stripers off the beach are right around there.
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siliconvalleycoins.com
So it's tragic to lose a daughter at age 20,
but her brothers lived to age 39 and 87.
One of her brothers' sons was the 8th president of Dartmouth.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-...?page=gr&GRid=63792999
Neat. Thanks to both!
I don't collect any of those areas, so I was limited in what I could bid on those pieces. I convinced myself that all of the HTTs were common types, and they actually looked better online than in person.
The CWTs were all over the map, with a lot of common pieces in low grades and a lot of common pieces in high grades, along with a few rarities mixed in. The best sleeper I saw was a 74/84 patriotic token that is so rare I couldn't figure out how much it was worth. That was the only CWT lot where I was competitive, so either I got the attribution wrong, or I was totally out to lunch about the value, or everyone else missed it. There was also a Good For One Scent Merriam token that's always a popular type. The highest price for CWTs went to a lot that had a sutler token that was apparently super-duper rare but I don't even have the right reference to know what I was missing on that one.
I don't know Conders at all and didn't even look at them during lot viewing.
The CWTs were mostly split between two buyers who seemed to know what they were doing. They left before I could talk to them, so I don't know if those pieces will show up on eBay or are going into their collections.
Whoever was bidder #500 on the phone gets a tip of my cap. I think they're going to be very happy with their winnings when they get them hand.
FWIW, in case it's not clear, these are not particularly valuable pieces. The 1796 dime is the most valuable simply because it's a 1796 dime. The rest are worth at most a few hundred dollars apiece, and the engraved dimes are likely not even worth that much. There is a big difference between "cool" and "expensive", especially in exonumia.
Julian AM-42, a US Mint medal producd for the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. This is not a rare medal, especially in Massachusetts. The toning on this pair is exceptional, though. This is also an interesting pair because there are two obverse dies, one signed F. N. MITCHELL / BOSTON and one not. I've known that the signed die is the older one; this pair helps to clarify when the second die came into use. The Fewkes recipients of these medals are part of the family whose estate was being sold.
Julian AM-34, a US Mint medal produced for the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association. This is another interesting pair. It should be obvious that the second piece has a much brassier color than the first. It's less obvious that the engraving is the same on both pieces. You can't really tell from the pictures, but they two pieces are also slightly different sizes (50.9 mm for the first and 49.8 mm for the second).
I'm pretty sure that the second piece is a cast copy of the first. I've seen cast copies of similar medals in the past, and always dismissed them as modern crap. The quality of this copy is quite good -- good enough that I wasn't positive whether it was real or not. Having this pair in the family context suggests that the cast copy was likely contemporary, which makes me want to rethink some of the other copies that I've seen.
Cute little chick engraved on a 1875 dime
Even cuter little doggie engraved on a dime (reverse also engraved, with the initial G). Anyone know enough about dogs to identify a specific breed? Has to be a breed that existed in the 1800s...
Jockey and horseshoe engraved on a 1891 dime. Non-round engraved coins are unusual, and even more so when they're non-round for reasons that make sense to the engraving.
Cute horse engraved on a dime, reverse engraved Narragansett Park Sept. 15 '82. This needs some research. Narragansett Park was a racetrack in Providence, RI. Google confirms that there was a race on that date, but I don't see anything noteworthy about it otherwise.
Lord's Prayer engraved on a 1892 dime. Micro engraving of the Lord's Prayer was "a thing" around this time. I've seen several examples. This is a nice one.
Lord's Prayer on a 1908 dime. This is an even nicer example. The smallest letters on this and the previous piece are less than half of a millimeter in height.
Congratulations on a neat acquisition...Cheers, RickO
On findagrave.com, there is an "Add a Photo" button. You would be remiss not to upload photos of that coin. It will totally make someone's day if they're following that family tree.
Wonderful piece and a great idea!
- Marcus Tullius Cicero, 106-43 BC
Done. (Thanks to Zoins for re-quoting that suggestion; I had missed it the first time around)
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
Done. (Thanks to Zoins for re-quoting that suggestion; I had missed it the first time around)
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
Great transactions with oih82w8, JasonGaming, Moose1913.
I thought "SALy" was Salisbury even before I read your confirmation of the provenance.
Nailing the ID on the young lady this piece memorialized took it beyond cool into truly wonderful.
Congratulations!
I am envious. I collect exactly this kind of material, though pieces with Draped Bust, Small Eagle host coins are beyond my budget.
Done. (Thanks to Zoins for re-quoting that suggestion; I had missed it the first time around)
Good work!
Thanks for the post. This 20 year old woman will never be forgotten....immortal as long as that dime exists in someone's possession.
bob
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Thanks so much for sharing.
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
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