"Scrappy but Sweet": love token on 1849-54 Type 1 gold dollar

lordmarcovan

"Scrappy but Sweet": love token on 1849-54 Type 1 gold dollar

Larger picture (obverse)
Larger picture (reverse)
Larger picture (both sides)

Host coin: ca. 1849-1854 USA Type 1 gold dollar.
Obverse: original Liberty head design, unaltered.
Reverse: Old English letter "I" between flourishes, within 6-sided ornamental border.

Ex- "franca87", eBay, 06/29/2017.

It's been a while since I had a gold dollar love token. They're out there; the gold dollar was fairly close behind the Seated Liberty dime in popularity as a host coin for love token carvings in the Victorian era.

I prefer love tokens on dated host coins, and I generally like either pictorials or pieces with researchable backstories. This has none of that; the dated (reverse) side was planed off for the carving, and the single-initial carving gives no research clues to its former owner's identity. Furthermore, the obverse of the coin has some scuffs and scratches.

All that being said, the quality of the carving was pretty good, and I purchased this coin for not much more than the "scrap" or "melt value" of the gold, so at that price, I was quite happy to add it to the "Creatively Damaged" collection I'll be putting on my "Holey Coin Hat".

As of this writing (June 2017), the melt value of (an unholed) Type 1 gold dollar is $60.25. I paid $68.32 for this, after shipping. Is it a premium-quality love token? No. But it's the first gold dollar love token I've seen offered under $75 in quite some time. Right now most them you see start around the $120+ price range. And if you're going to buy a "scrappy" gold coin, a love token has wider appeal than any other category of holed or damaged piece.

She's scrappy, this one ... but sweet.

ricko

Nice addition LordM... The small 'G' on the left and the 3d on the right may be a clue... Look for a surname beginning with I and a first name with G... and the third... Just my interpretation.... Cheers, RickO

JJSingleton

Gold always makes for a fun love token. A great addition to your hat.

lordmarcovan

@ricko said:
Nice addition LordM... The small 'G' on the left and the 3d on the right may be a clue... Look for a surname beginning with I and a first name with G... and the third... Just my interpretation.... Cheers, RickO

And an interesting interpretation it is. I saw those as little curlicues, not as a "G" and a "3".

You could be right, but even so, there would be too many variables to pin that down to one individual.

The seller had the reverse (engraved) side upside-down in the eBay images.

ricko

Yep... could be curlicues or Arabic characters..... And I agree... unless you could find a G.I. the Third, or all three... then it would be difficult to establish identity. Fun though...Cheers, RickO

lordmarcovan

After looking again at the larger images, I think you're onto something. We'll never know who the owner was, most likely, but upon closer examination I do think that might just be a "G" on the left and "3 D" on the right of that central "I". I had thought those were just little asymmetrical flourishes.

lordmarcovan

So ... "G.I. the Third", then.

Thanks. Good eye!

sparky64

"She's scrappy, this one ... but sweet."

I agree with that assessment.
Is there some sort of sleeve in the hole?

lordmarcovan

@sparky64 said:
"She's scrappy, this one ... but sweet."

I agree with that assessment.
Is there some sort of sleeve in the hole?

Hard to say until it's in hand, but could just be metal buildup from having been carried on a chain, I suppose.

asheland

That's a cool one! I hope you bring these up this fall.

lordmarcovan

@asheland said:
That's a cool one! I hope you bring these up this fall.

I will!

Maybe I'll have the Holey Coin Hat reassembled and ready for its new lease on life by then.

Of course it will be so much nicer after I get Greg/@Savoyspecial's Bechtler love token from him.

You can distract him for me (cupcakes again, perhaps?) and I can tiptoe up from behind and snatch it.

It's OK - we can plan the heist here - it's not like he's been on the forums lately, or anything ...

asheland

Indeed he's not been on here much. Soon I'll catch up to his post count.
I can't wait until the next Darkside Gathering!

lordmarcovan

@asheland said:
Indeed he's not been on here much. Soon I'll catch up to his post count.
I can't wait until the next Darkside Gathering!

Me neither - it's the high point of my year - and Asheville and the mountains in fall are such a welcome relief after a long, steamy lowcountry summer.

I just resurrected your old thread about last year's Gathering.

asheland

Awesome!

oih82w8

I am fairly certain that there is an enforcement/repair sleeve on the mounting hole...gold is pretty soft, and I believe that the artist got a little too close to the edge and it wore through.

lordmarcovan

@oih82w8 said:
I am fairly certain that there is an enforcement/repair sleeve on the mounting hole...gold is pretty soft, and I believe that the artist got a little too close to the edge and it wore through.

Looking again at the pictures, especially on the obverse, I think you're right. Naturally I'll check that out when I get it.

morgansforever

Great looking holed piece, the artistry is very well executed.

Treashunt

@oih82w8 said:
I am fairly certain that there is an enforcement/repair sleeve on the mounting hole...gold is pretty soft, and I believe that the artist got a little too close to the edge and it wore through.

great catch