Why are Vermont Coppers almost always worn and flawed?

Comments

• superpsychmd Posts: 1,318 ✭✭✭

  December 26, 2014 9:17PM

  In answer to your question, it is the maple syrup which was used to clean the dies before striking.

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• BillJones Posts: 34,891 ✭✭✭✭✭

  December 26, 2014 10:45PM

  These coins were produced under very primitive conditions. The planchets were often flawed and uneven, which would result in an uneven strike no matter how good the dies may have been. The dies were crude and not well prepared for making coins. And chances are non of the metals used in the process, steel or iron for dies, copper for coins, was not properly softened or hardened.
  
  One other factor that comes into play, at least for the counterfeiters during the colonial and confederation (1792 - 1789) period is that some coins were made to look worn from the beginning. The logic was that if a coin looked worn then that was evidence that someone else had accepted it and used it as money. Therefore if other people thought that it was okay and "good money" then it might be safe to do the same. I don't know if that applied in the thinking behind the production of the Vermont coppers, but it could have been
  
  AND one must realize that some of the later Vermont coins were made at Machin's Mills which did make counterfeit coins at the same time as they were making legitimate coins that were made to look worn from the beginning.

  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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• superpsychmd Posts: 1,318 ✭✭✭

  December 27, 2014 12:20AM

  Isn't that what I just said? Sheesh...
  
  

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• ambro51 Posts: 13,957 ✭✭✭✭✭

  December 27, 2014 8:21AM

  ....the very features that make them so loveable. The Rupert mint, for what it was.... Produced thousands of perfectly acceptable coins in a very short period of time. There was a great need for small coin then, and all these coppers worked very hard. Taxes could be paid with them and huge quantities shifted about in kegs. The nature of the coin, made without a now normal upset rim, and being high relief in places, either wore quickly or failed to fill the die on striking. All Vermont dies fall apart, receded crack crumble and fail .....EXCEPT the Baby Head which curiously never showed die cracks or signs of failure. I'd suggest anyone interested in Vermont Coppers get a copy of Tony Carlottos book. While explaining the coins in detail he Really paints a picture of the era and culture of hardscrabble Vermont During the state coin era they had some of the hardest winters on record and many people were living on the bare edge of subsistence. It's possible some coins stayed within small hamlets for years, while others traveled to different states or Canada. Most unusual, and not well understood is the actual disbursement of coins from the Mint at Rupert. The legislation is complicated yet basic, giving Harmon the right to coin pretty much at will, with no return to the State Treasury of any "fees" for several years. Federalization of coinage occurred before that. We know Harmon was a storekeeper and a man of above average means (for that area). His partners were men of substance or skilled workers. It's thought the coppers were simply spent out through Harmons store...but we do not know for certain. Probably 6 thousand or so survive. Given 1% survival that means possibly over a half million pieces were in total struck between Rupert and Machins Mill over near 5 year period.

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• ricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭

  December 28, 2014 4:27AM

  All the above - and, many have been dug from the ground.... Cheers, RickO

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• Icollecteverything Posts: 1,033 ✭✭✭

  December 28, 2014 9:28AM

  It's called "character".

  Successful BST deals with mustangt and jesbroken. Now EVERYTHING is for sale.

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