Let's start a Bolen thread (post your pics, tell your stories)

mercurydimeguy · May 12, 2017 12:12PM

OK, I've been bitten by the Bolen bug. I decided to take a stab at collecting these super interesting pieces, and happen to luck into finding a few real lookers and scarce pieces at the same time.

I would love to have a thread here for all things Bolen. Post your pics, your acquisition stories, stories of the piece itself, etc. Maybe this thread can become a resource for people interested in these issues.

Here's what arrived in the mail today. I saw this piece in person but didn't buy it cause it was more than I could spend at the time. But I stayed up a couple days thinking about it and wound up buying. It came from Neil himself (in a little blue envelope).

This is a JAB W-10, what is knows as Woodward Mule. It was struck by Joseph H. Merriam. No one is certain whether or not Woodward was responsible for commissioning these pieces, or acquiring the dies from A. Ramsey McCory and having Merriam strike some pieces, or what his real motives where, but since they were first featured in his catalogue and he "marketed" them, it is fairly certain these were struck in limited quantities to profiteer and offer numismatists of the age rare collectibles. Some called these Mules "abominations" since they married Bolen obverses with either new reverses or reverses that didn't belong in the original striking.

This piece is really rare -- 5 pieces total were struck. While I can't be certain, I would tell you upon inspecting this piece, I cannot think a finer piece could exist given the 5 total mintage the 150+ years that passed. I will send to PCGS for grading, and hopefully Phil can capture the PL nature of this coin.

DCW · May 12, 2017 1:12PM

Here is a Bolen/Merriam mule from my collection which used the "Father of Our Country Obverse" along with the "Ruins of the Turpentine Works" reverse, JAB-W-11. (5 struck):

cardinal · May 12, 2017 1:32PM

Here is one in Silver, on thick planchets, so one of the original 6 pieces struck by Bolen himself:

DIMEMAN · May 12, 2017 1:43PM

@cardinal said:
Here is one in Silver, on thick planchets, so one of the original 6 pieces struck by Bolen himself:

That is really neat and probably above my means since there are only 6.

mercurydimeguy · May 12, 2017 4:16PM

@cardinal you have some amazing pieces, post the other Bolens you have into this thread when you have some time (and any stories about their acquisition or the pieces themselves).

@DIMEMAN you'd be amazed at how affordable theses pieces are in context of their rarities (I'm afraid people will start collecting them and prices will go up exponentially).

Unknown · May 13, 2017 8:02AM

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ricko · May 13, 2017 8:54AM

Interesting pieces...and combined with the rarity make for a unique collecting niche. Cheers, RickO

cardinal · May 13, 2017 8:03PM

@afford said:
Cardinal,
why did you say that yours was struck by Bolen himself? We know that many of his dies were sold to other dealers and struck by them but anything with "BOLEN" on it is assumed to be struck by him, yours has BOELN stamped on it and so do all the others shown in this thread? Just was wondering if you were trying to say anything else by your statement?
Thanks

Yes, it is known that many of the dies were sold to other dealers, who used them to strike their own copies -- and that includes John W. Kline who made his own "muling" of the Libertas Americana die with the George Washington die. The specific specimen pictured above is known to have been struck by J.A. Bolen, as it was struck on a particularly thick planchet, while all of the Kline "restrikes" were produced on much thinner planchets.

cardinal · May 14, 2017 9:48AM

Here's a unique piece of Bolen's work, basically a marketing piece to show prospective customers how skillful he was in making custom engravings:

TomB · May 14, 2017 9:56AM

That is pretty dang cool, cardinal!

RogerB · May 14, 2017 10:02AM

Nearly all die sinkers, engravers, sculptors, medalists and others in the field had uniface versions of their work attached to boards or panels. These were used to show the creator's work and stimulate interest by prospective clients. Most of the de Francisci medals in the SI (Luce collection in AAM at Gallery Place in Washington) are actually this type of promotional display item.

Zoins · May 14, 2017 10:04AM

Beautiful showcase @cardinal!

What metals are those made from and is that Bolen's own handwriting?

cardinal · May 14, 2017 10:45AM

@Zoins said:
Beautiful showcase @cardinal!

What metals are those made from and is that Bolen's own handwriting?

They are all white metal impressions, and the title is in Bolen's own handwriting! BTW, the impression in the second to last row, at the right end of the row, is Bolen's portrait of his own daughter.

cardinal · May 14, 2017 10:59AM

Here's my group of the JAB-30 medals, featuring Bolen's Libertas Americana die obverse, and his own portrait dated 1867:

White Metal - MS62:

Brass - MS63:

Copper - MS63RB, from the Cover of Musante's book:

Copper - MS63RB:

Copper - MS64BN:

Copper - MS66BN:

Copper - MS66RB:

cardinal · May 14, 2017 1:06PM

Here are the other Bolen pieces I've acquired over the years:

JAB-11, in White Metal:

JAB-11, in Silver:

JAB-20, in White Metal, pending crossover:

JAB-26, in Brass:

JAB-26, in Copper:

JAB-27, in Brass:

JAB-27, in Copper:

JAB-32, in Brass:

JAB-32, in Copper:

JAB-32, in White Metal:

JAB-35, in Silvered White Metal:

JAB-K-8, in White Metal:

JAB-M5, in Brass:

mercurydimeguy · May 14, 2017 5:52PM

@cardinal you don't need to have so many Libertas Americana in Cu. perhaps some of those can be transferred to a new curator?

cardinal · May 14, 2017 7:36PM

@mercurydimeguy said:
@cardinal you don't need to have so many Libertas Americana in Cu. perhaps some of those can be transferred to a new curator?

True, but they make good trading material to get the JAB-30 in silver, which I do not have yet! Ultimately, for display purposes, I'd like to get the JAB-30's holdered like this:

Zoins · May 14, 2017 7:55PM

Great tokens and thanks for sharing @cardinal! Love the collection

mercurydimeguy · May 15, 2017 6:09AM

@cardinal I've also had my eye on your JAB-35 in silvered white metal for a while for obvious reasons (both Bolen and 1869)

BillJones · May 15, 2017 6:25AM

Here is an example of the Springfield, Massachusetts baseball medal.

Here a script I wrote for an ANA "Money Talks" radio script that I wrote in 1994 that provides a brief history of this piece. I have a longer version somewhere in my computer files that will try to find if there is interest.

This year, Major League Baseball has been celebrating the 125th anniversary of the first game to be played by an openly professional team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings. But before the sport was played by professionals, many Americans were forming clubs and enjoying it for recreation; and one team from Massachusetts issued a medal that is now a scarce and popular collectors' item. This is the ANA's "Money Talks."

The rules of modern baseball were developed in 1846 by Alexander Cartwright who lived in New York City. Soon after Cartwright had published his rules, baseball clubs began to form in and around the New York City area. As the name implied, these organizations really were clubs, with membership cards, dues and social events, which included the members' wives. Activities were scheduled though out the year, not just during the summer; and some clubs scheduled so many dinners, dances and other events that they almost forgot to play baseball!

At about the same time that New Yorkers were forming baseball clubs, New Englanders were developing a form of the game on their own. "The Massachusetts" or "New England Game" as it was called, featured wooden stakes for bases that were only 60 feet apart instead of the standard 90 feet and only one out per half inning. The scoring must have been fast and furious because the winning team was the first that could put 75 runs on the board!

Perhaps the most successful of the "New England Game" teams was a club that formed in Springfield, Massachusetts which is in the western half of the state. The Springfield nine not only defeated all of their local opposition but also traveled east to vanquish their cross-state rivals from Boston.

To celebrate their formation, the Springfield team issued medals in 1859 which are among the earliest examples of baseball memorabilia. The front of the piece features a right handed batter in the classic stance awaiting a pitch surrounded by the words, "Pioneer Base Ball Club.". The reverse features the legend, "Organized April 30, 1858 Play Ground on Hampden Park Springfield, Mass." About the only item in the batter's uniform that resembled modern baseball attire is his flat topped, "wedding cake" style cap that resembled commemorative hats that the Pittsburgh Pirates wore in the late 1970s when they were celebrating 100th anniversary of the National Baseball League.

Only 200 of the Springfield baseball medals were issued. Seventy-five copper medals were issued to the members of the club and 125 additional pieces in a white metal compound were made available to the public. Today, interested collectors have paid more than $800 for the copper pieces in choice condition and more than $400 for the white medal examples.

mercurydimeguy · May 24, 2017 4:55PM

@BillJones now if I can just find a piece like that for my set

Meanwhile, I picked this up this past Sunday but just can't image the piece. It's in an older NGC holder that is super scuffed and the coin is crooked in it to boot (sorry for not-so-good images). I haven't seen a "Young American" in the wild for a while, and took the opportunity to acquire this piece since the opportunity was presented. Besides, I almost lost out on acquiring it but I'll save that story for another day... I will cross this coin and have Phil image it raw, and I'm sure it will be as nice as my Avatar. This JAB-5 piece is super PL.

Here's a link to the Wiki article on the Young America movement. Bolen undoubtedly supported this movement since he took the time out of working at the Arsenal to make these store cards ... it was probably to keep fresh/continue to promote his personal interests while he was serving at the Arsenal. He didn't go fight on the frontline, instead he put his talents to use making weapons

Here are my other current pieces...

mercurydimeguy · June 2, 2017 8:58PM

Here's Tin version of the Springfield Antiquarians. This one is currently slabbed in NGC 65 plastic...

mercurydimeguy · June 3, 2017 8:06AM

I just got done imaging the JAB-26, I spent a lot of time on it cause I wanted to get the image 99% of the in-hand look. This piece is just super! 14 pieces struck. Both dies were cut in 1867 and donated to Kline in 1872. From Kline they were passed to the Chapmans to the ANS (part of a group donated in 1948). A few restrikes exist but how the came to be and who struck them is a bit of a mystery. They are easy to ID , though, by a thinner planchet and what I would describe as less attention to detail in the striking.

PS. We might just build a virtual set in this thread for future use, if people want to look up specific pieces. BO

CyndieChildress · June 3, 2017 8:11AM

@cardinal said:
Here's a unique piece of Bolen's work, basically a marketing piece to show prospective customers how skillful he was in making custom engravings:

WOW!

mercurydimeguy · June 3, 2017 8:35AM

...

mercurydimeguy · June 22, 2017 3:59PM

I finally got some grades to post, and today TrueView images came in on these two Bolen pieces that just graded.

JAB-4 Brass Bolen Medal Arsenal Without Sun is graded PCGS MS63
JAB-5 Brass Bolen Medal Young America is graded PCGS MS64

I have 6 more Bolen pieces in grading...will share them once their grades post.

coinsarefun · June 22, 2017 4:47PM

This is the one I won yesterday.
Stacks description:
LOT DESCRIPTION
Fuld MA-760A-6a John Adams Bolen NGC MS65RB![]
Massachusetts--Springfield. 1864 John Adams Bolen. Fuld-760A-6a, Musante JAB-9. Rarity-8. Copper. Plain Edge. 28 mm. MS-65 RB (NGC).
Mostly brilliant surfaces have faint hints of pink and blue on both sides. The obverse is prooflike. Here we have Bolen by Bolen, a Gem example of his portrait of himself -- one of relatively few 19th century numismatists depicted on tokens (the most famous being Augustus B. Sage's Numismatic Gallery series of 1859 starting with Charles I. Bushnell).
Provenance: From the Q. David Bowers Collection. Earlier ex Leslie Heilbronner; Steve Tanenbaum Collection.
.
.
.

mercurydimeguy · July 1, 2017 12:32PM

I finally got the grade to post on this Springfield Antiquarians piece, but no TrueView yet (maybe soon?). It graded MS64BN, so I'm happy with that given that it's one of the scarcer pieces (a scant 14 pieces were struck in copper). Can't wait to see Phil's images of it (I shot this piece straight on, but it's fairly PL so I wonder if he'll lean more towards the PL look).

coinsarefun · July 1, 2017 4:54PM

Beautiful pieces mercurydimeguy. You should be very proud of these and all the tokens you have collected.

Zoins · July 1, 2017 10:43PM

Beautiful tokens @mercurydimeguy!

Are the politician tokens with the last name above the bust part of a series? Example tokens: JAB-26, JAB-27, JAB-29, and JAB-32.

Unknown · July 8, 2017 9:28AM

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mercurydimeguy · August 2, 2017 11:43AM

Congrats to whoever won the Bolen's last night (Stacks) and today (Heritage). I tried bidding on the Pynchon piece last night, and stopped chasing it at $1.7k (was willing to pay up to $1.2k max). The other two pieces last night just didn't speak to me, and on top of that they weren't cheap (especially the Oreide one, which is not very scarce). However, the Bar Cent copy today on Heritage was special...but at $7k it was WAY above my pay grade. But to be fair, if I had $$ sloshing around, I would have acquired it since it looked pretty nice.

mercurydimeguy · August 2, 2017 11:47AM

This grade posted a few days ago...MS64RB.I still have like 5-7 pieces in grading since beginning of June, hoping to get their grades to post soon

coinsarefun · August 2, 2017 2:20PM

Nice piece.

mercurydimeguy · August 14, 2017 5:54PM

Some new coins/grades posted...

crazyhounddog · August 14, 2017 6:08PM

A LOT of beautiful pieces here and great stories.

DCW · November 14, 2017 6:10PM

Thought I'd revive this thread for some recent purchases:
JAB-W-14 Copper -Merriam's Lincoln/Bolen's "He Lived, For His Country."

JAB-W-16 Tin -Merriam's Parties Supplied at Short Notice/ Bolen's Soldiers' Fair

Justacommeman · November 14, 2017 6:30PM

@mercurydimeguy said:
@cardinal you don't need to have so many Libertas Americana in Cu. perhaps some of those can be transferred to a new curator?

Funny you should say that. I just bought this from the Stacks Cardinal Sale in PCGS 64 BN. Thrilled. Goes into the Libertas collection. Curating ain't cheap.

mark

Broadstruck · November 14, 2017 6:47PM

Nice tokens everyone!

Although the funny part is if this thread was started a decade or more ago no one would have posted much of anything.

There was limited to absolutely no interest at all in Bolen strikes as you'd see his creations sitting stale on dealers web sites for 3-5 years at a time.

DCW · November 14, 2017 7:00PM

And now it takes $5k to buy a nice baseball JAB-1!
It's nice that Bolen's work has finally been given a place at the table.

cardinal · November 14, 2017 7:10PM

I picked up these two:

Broadstruck · November 14, 2017 7:20PM

@DCW said:
And now it takes $5k to buy a nice baseball JAB-1!
It's nice that Bolen's work has finally been given a place at the table.

I like those too but far better when they where $800-1200 then now.

There's quite a bit of exonumia that's skyrocketed in the last decade beyond just Bolen.

So collecting while there's limited competition sure has it's perks!

DCW · November 15, 2017 2:31PM

@cardinal I just love this medal.
And its text rings as true today as it did when our great nation was born. Here is the entire paragraph of what Washington wrote to Hamilton, courtesy of our National Archives. Bolen had to paraphrase the text, as you can see, lest he make a medal 6inches in diameter.
"I would fain hope that liberal allowances will be made for the political opinions of one another; and instead of those wounding suspicions, and irritating charges with which some of our Gazettes are so strongly impregnated, & cannot fail if persevered in, of pushing matters to extremity, & thereby tare the Machine asunder, that there might be mutual forbearances and temporising yieldings on all sides. Without these I do not see how the Reins of Government are to be managed, or how the Union of the States can be much longer preserved."
-George Washington, August 26, 1792

Zoins · December 9, 2019 1:11AM

Just ran across this gold Bolen medal and thought it was worth bumping this thread. How many gold Bolen medals are known?

Let's start a Bolen thread (post your pics, tell your stories)

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