"Relic of a Short Life"
lordmarcovan
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"Relic of a Short Life"
"JASPER DILDAY" love token on ca. 1867-1869 Shield nickel
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Obverse: "JASPER DILDAY" counterstamped with individual letter punches, within engraved border decorations. Reverse: original Shield nickel design, unaltered except for possible traces of old mounting. Ex- "acsb-rich", eBay, 11/13/2015.
Aside from Shield nickels being slightly less common host coins for love tokens, this piece is largely unexceptional, though the work on it was competent enough. I normally would not have considered it, because I prefer the host coin dates to be visible on my love tokens. However, when I noticed this piece featured both a first and last name, and a reasonably uncommon last name, I decided to try and see if I could find Jasper Dilday.
And I did!
Sources vary as to his birthyear, but he was reportedly born around 1855 and died in 1879. This is not only contemporaneous with our host coin, but also helps narrow the date of the engraving down between 1867 (since there are no rays on the reverse of the nickel) and 1879 (the year Jasper Dilday is said to have died). And though as of this writing I do not know the cause, he died young, as so many people did in the 19th century.
(Update: Shield nickel specialist Howard, of www.shieldnickels.net, informs me that this host coin can be even more narrowly dated by the reverse hub alone. So the host coin would have been dated ca. 1867-1869 while the engraving would date ca. 1867-1879 as mentioned above, extrapolating from Jasper Dilday's death date. Thanks, Howard!)
Yes, it's possible that there was more than one Jasper Dilday, but this one seems to fit the period of this coin perfectly. I'll bet it's him.
The thing that excited me most about researching Jasper Dilday was that I found he had a memorial page on findagrave.com, and it featured his photograph!
That's when I knew I had to buy this piece!
Except for famous pedigrees, how often can we numismatists say exactly who owned a coin in our collection?
And how often does a photograph of that person survive, to let their face stare back at us from the past?
Here is Jasper Dilday himself, as a young man of around fifteen years old, circa 1870. He would have been only about 24 when he died.
Here is the information from his findagrave.com memorial page.
It seems he lived long enough to marry, but his wife Nancy also died young, only a year after he did. She would have been only 21. Perhaps it was she who gave him the coin above?
Engraved/Counterstamped/Oddball Type Set
"JASPER DILDAY" love token on ca. 1867-1869 Shield nickel
Larger obverse picture
Larger reverse picture
Obverse: "JASPER DILDAY" counterstamped with individual letter punches, within engraved border decorations. Reverse: original Shield nickel design, unaltered except for possible traces of old mounting. Ex- "acsb-rich", eBay, 11/13/2015.
Aside from Shield nickels being slightly less common host coins for love tokens, this piece is largely unexceptional, though the work on it was competent enough. I normally would not have considered it, because I prefer the host coin dates to be visible on my love tokens. However, when I noticed this piece featured both a first and last name, and a reasonably uncommon last name, I decided to try and see if I could find Jasper Dilday.
And I did!
Sources vary as to his birthyear, but he was reportedly born around 1855 and died in 1879. This is not only contemporaneous with our host coin, but also helps narrow the date of the engraving down between 1867 (since there are no rays on the reverse of the nickel) and 1879 (the year Jasper Dilday is said to have died). And though as of this writing I do not know the cause, he died young, as so many people did in the 19th century.
(Update: Shield nickel specialist Howard, of www.shieldnickels.net, informs me that this host coin can be even more narrowly dated by the reverse hub alone. So the host coin would have been dated ca. 1867-1869 while the engraving would date ca. 1867-1879 as mentioned above, extrapolating from Jasper Dilday's death date. Thanks, Howard!)
Yes, it's possible that there was more than one Jasper Dilday, but this one seems to fit the period of this coin perfectly. I'll bet it's him.
The thing that excited me most about researching Jasper Dilday was that I found he had a memorial page on findagrave.com, and it featured his photograph!
That's when I knew I had to buy this piece!
Except for famous pedigrees, how often can we numismatists say exactly who owned a coin in our collection?
And how often does a photograph of that person survive, to let their face stare back at us from the past?
Here is Jasper Dilday himself, as a young man of around fifteen years old, circa 1870. He would have been only about 24 when he died.
Here is the information from his findagrave.com memorial page.
It seems he lived long enough to marry, but his wife Nancy also died young, only a year after he did. She would have been only 21. Perhaps it was she who gave him the coin above?
Birth: Mar. 1, 1855
Union County
Illinois, USA
Death: Oct. 4, 1879
Dade County
Missouri, USA
In 1870, in the Dade Co., Census, 15 yr. old Jasper was listed with his parents John B. Dilday age 41, a miller, b. in GA and Dorothy age 36 b. IN, Jasper & his older brother William both born in IL; 2 younger siblings born in KS.
He married Nancy Ellen Steeley on 1 Feb 1874 in Dade Co., MO; she was born 3 Jan 1859 in Dade Co., MO, and d. Feb/Jul 1880 in Dade Co., MO. They had the following children: Jenney/Jensey A. Dilday b. abt 1879, Jasper E. Dilday b. Feb 1880, and Mary Ellen Dilday (all born in Dade Co., MO).
Jasper B. Dilday was the son of John Balas Dilday b. 9 Mar 1829 in Rabun Co., GA d. 5 Aug 1895 in MO (buried at this cem., son of Elilas Dilday and Pharaby Wimpey both of SC, and Mary Ann Rumbley b. abt 1832 in TN, d. abt 1865, daughter of H. M. Rumbley b. abt 1807 in NC and Elizabeth abt abt 1810 in OH.
He had the following siblings: William O., Martha/Matilda Ellen, and James Dilday; he had the following half-sibling (mother: Dorothy Denny Jones b. 1834 in IN): Irene Pharaba Dilday b. 1872 in Dade Co., MO, who married Arch William Manka.
Family links:
Parents:
John Balas Dilday (1829 - 1895)
Spouse:
Nancy Ellen Steeley Dilday (1859 - 1880)
Sibling:
William Oscar Dilday (1852 - 1918)*
Jasper B. Dilday (1855 - 1879)
*Calculated relationship
Burial:
Antioch Cemetery
Everton
Dade County
Missouri, USA
Created by: Alice P.
Record added: Jun 27, 2005
Find A Grave Memorial# 11242139
Union County
Illinois, USA
Death: Oct. 4, 1879
Dade County
Missouri, USA
In 1870, in the Dade Co., Census, 15 yr. old Jasper was listed with his parents John B. Dilday age 41, a miller, b. in GA and Dorothy age 36 b. IN, Jasper & his older brother William both born in IL; 2 younger siblings born in KS.
He married Nancy Ellen Steeley on 1 Feb 1874 in Dade Co., MO; she was born 3 Jan 1859 in Dade Co., MO, and d. Feb/Jul 1880 in Dade Co., MO. They had the following children: Jenney/Jensey A. Dilday b. abt 1879, Jasper E. Dilday b. Feb 1880, and Mary Ellen Dilday (all born in Dade Co., MO).
Jasper B. Dilday was the son of John Balas Dilday b. 9 Mar 1829 in Rabun Co., GA d. 5 Aug 1895 in MO (buried at this cem., son of Elilas Dilday and Pharaby Wimpey both of SC, and Mary Ann Rumbley b. abt 1832 in TN, d. abt 1865, daughter of H. M. Rumbley b. abt 1807 in NC and Elizabeth abt abt 1810 in OH.
He had the following siblings: William O., Martha/Matilda Ellen, and James Dilday; he had the following half-sibling (mother: Dorothy Denny Jones b. 1834 in IN): Irene Pharaba Dilday b. 1872 in Dade Co., MO, who married Arch William Manka.
Family links:
Parents:
John Balas Dilday (1829 - 1895)
Spouse:
Nancy Ellen Steeley Dilday (1859 - 1880)
Sibling:
William Oscar Dilday (1852 - 1918)*
Jasper B. Dilday (1855 - 1879)
*Calculated relationship
Burial:
Antioch Cemetery
Everton
Dade County
Missouri, USA
Created by: Alice P.
Record added: Jun 27, 2005
Find A Grave Memorial# 11242139
Engraved/Counterstamped/Oddball Type Set
0
Comments
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Amazing that you were able to track Jasper
What fantastic research. Did you calculate that his wife was 15Y 1M old when he married her? I guess in Missouri (where they married) she must have been virtually an old maid by then.
More sadly, it looks like he died while his wife was pregnant with possibly twins (the listing seems unclear--when was Mary Ellen Dilday born?). I'd also hazard to guess that his wife died in childbirth, because her death is possibly Feb 1880, though it may also be July 1880.
Regardless, what a fascinating tale. Your token, combined with a bit more research, would make an outstanding exhibit!
As kaz said, talk about a portal to the past, wow. Makes me wonder about the long and convoluted path from the day this coin was minted, then the day(s) it was customized, then a succession of owners, now to you, and then on in to the future.
You've added immensely to the Value of the pieces you've done this kind of research for, I think the (right) next owners will be highly appreciative of your efforts
... especially if any of these coins find their way to the decendents of the original owners.
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
token collection. Definitely a rare occurrence to be able to attach this kind of history to a
coin. Cheers, RickO
LordM:
What fantastic research. Did you calculate that his wife was 15Y 1M old when he married her? I guess in Missouri (where they married) she must have been virtually an old maid by then.
More sadly, it looks like he died while his wife was pregnant with possibly twins (the listing seems unclear--when was Mary Ellen Dilday born?). I'd also hazard to guess that his wife died in childbirth, because her death is possibly Feb 1880, though it may also be July 1880.
Regardless, what a fascinating tale. Your token, combined with a bit more research, would make an outstanding exhibit!
Thank you all for the compliments on the research, but to Google goeth the glory, rather than any meager skills as an archivist I may have.
It took me less than five minutes to find Jasper Dilday with the aid of 21st century information technology. Much more credit is due the genealogists.
Mark- I wondered if Jasper's widow had died in childbirth. I would imagine that was a leading cause of death for 21 year old women at the time, even considering the toll taken by disease.
It is quite poignant. Seeing his young portrait really brought that all home for me.
But on a more upbeat note, I am finding I get just as much enjoyment from a $50-75 love token these days as I would from a $500+ addition to my "Box of 20", though I still enjoy the latter, more mainstream pursuit too. Despite price increases, $50-75 goes a lot farther in the love token category than it does in the mainstream.
Perhaps I have found a niche more in synch with my budgetary means.
It's amazing how things have changed in a relatively short period of time.
People used to die of appendicitis, now it's a 3 day inconvenience. Of course, the biggest advances have been in hygiene and vaccinations.
Thanks for posting!!
I used to love old country churches like this in my more active metal detecting days.
(Photo credit: J.D. McConnell/findagrave.com)
Here's one of my favorite early 20th Century pics....this is a giant print of this famous photo that I picked up at an antique show years back (pardon my reflection)....it's from photographer Lewis Hines chronicling child labor at the time.....the time is thought to be about 1908, a coal mine in West Virginia....possibly the boy is only about 11, and some have said that his name is Otha Porter Martin....anyways, his expression is one of maybe affability, hope or resignation, or maybe none of those things...I've always been intrigued by him and it's an incredibly detailed print so much so that you can almost feel the dirt.
Of course, it could have been engraved anytime 1867 or later.
http://www.shieldnickels.net
'Slammer- that is indeed a very evocative photo of the young miner.
Many of these people lived short lives but grew up so fast and shouldered responsibilities and hardships we can only imagine.
My YouTube Channel
Are there a lot more love tokens in silver than in nickel? I'm guessing nickel is harder to work with. On the other hand, there were a lot more silver coins in circulation back then.
This is neat.
Are there a lot more love tokens in silver than in nickel? I'm guessing nickel is harder to work with. On the other hand, there were a lot more silver coins in circulation back then.
The Seated Liberty dime is far and away the #1 host coin used for love tokens, with Seated quarters and gold dollars probably coming in second. Nickels did get done, but not as often.
Of course by the first half of the 20th century the Buffalo nickel became the host coin of choice for so-called "hobo" carvings, which are really a continuation of the earlier love token phenomenon, except the hobo nickels are less often personalized with names or initials and are more focused on pictorial artwork.
Too many positive BST transactions with too many members to list.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
And having a person to link a coin too makes the coin that much more interesting.
His wife, Nancy Ellen Steeley Dilday, did not die in childbirth in Feb. 1880.
She was alive in June 1880, living with her mother, children and siblings.
Here are the persons in the household, 1880 Census record (South, Dade County, Missouri):
1880 Census - South, Dade, Missouri
HOUSEHOLD ROLE GENDER AGE BIRTHPLACE
Rebecca Steeley Self F 49 Kentucky, United State
Nancy E Steeley Daughter F 20 Missouri, United States
Rebecca L Steeley Daughter F 18 Missouri, United States
Kiah R Steeley Son M 9 Missouri, United States
Jensey A Dilda Granddaughter F 1 Missouri, United States
Major Steeley Son M 11 Missouri, United States
Jasper E Dilda [Grand]Daughter F 0 Missouri, United States
I don't see Mary Ellen Dilday in this household. She could have been a non-surviving twin,
but also could have been a non-surviving child born in the 1874-1878 range (since Jasper B. Dilday and Nancy Ellen Steeley were married in Feb 1874).
I couldn't find further references to Jasper and Nancy's children, but the 1890 Census records were mostly destroyed in a fire, and that would have helped trace them.
Most of Nancy's siblings lived into the 1940s.
Are you able to add the image to findagrave.com or any entry that may exist on ancestry.com? People that use either would be fascinated to see additional personalized artifacts that have been found "in the wild."
I definitely need to sign up on findagrave.com and do that. Also renew my Ancestry.com membership and maybe join some of the old newspaper databases.
Yosclimber- thanks for the further info.
Here's a link to the search I used for Jasper B Dilday:
https://familysearch.org/searc...A%22United%20States%22
You can search for free on familysearch.org .
Here's a link to the search I used for Jasper B Dilday:
https://familysearch.org/se......United%20States%22
Thanks again.