Do you have an "1812 silver dollar" in your collection?
RogerB
Posts: 8,852 ✭✭✭✭✭
If not, maybe you can write to Mr. Deese in Smithville, GA and offer to buy his. Must be very rare.
Similar letters are common among mint correspondence, as are requests for old coins, and offers to sell "rare" coins to the government.
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Comments
Or possibly an 1812 half dollar?? The coins stood out as large compared to the smaller silver ones.
Ouch. That must have hurt the person writing this letter, as much as the person receiving it.
``https://ebay.us/m/KxolR5
R.E. Preston, Acting Director. Now I imagine Jon Lovitz Master Thespian.
R.E. Preston: The US mint provides the best customer service anywhere.
Mr. Deese: No you don't, you are extremely rude.
R.E. Preston: Acting!
Mr. Deese: Genius!
R.E. Preston: Thank you!
Chances are the coin in rural Georgia was some form of Spanish colonial 8 reales, but logger7's conjecture is also possible.
I'm checking all the dates on my Susan B. Anthonys just in case.
My Adolph A. Weinman signature
There are also letters from people who want Metric sets (including $4 gold), and another person wants a bunch of early-date half dollars.
It would be a rare thing today to get a hand written letter from the 'Government' today
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb, Ricko
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
The mint's lawyers today would command the workers not respond to letters except "legally correct" letters with typical boilerplate.
It would be interesting if the letter TO the mint could be found as well... Now, if some numismatic detective could trace the family that was in possession of the 'dollar' at that time, perhaps it is still in a family heirloom box.... Unlikely, but possible...
Cheers, RickO
The original might be found in Entry 229 "Letters Received." If anyone plans to go to College Park Md and look, I can give them the approximate range of boxes to check.