A neat find
nencoin
Posts: 1,305 ✭✭✭✭
We have a high school student who has been interning with us this summer. He's become our variety specialist and is an excellent researcher. While rummaging in some dusty boxes he found a neat item on which he did a write-up. Some of you may enjoy reading this:
_Benjamin found a perpetual calendar ferrotype located at the bottom of a grimy old box in Tom’s office. While it may not look very attractive or special, the medallion is a rare relic of Civil War era America, and highly collectible.
The silver plated brass medallion was manufactured by Ellis and Read of Springfield, Mass during the Civil War. It features an inlaid ferrotype of Major Gen. Benjamin Butler on the obverse, and a perpetual calendar on the reverse. The calendar can be used to determine what days of the week correspond to any date, past, present, or future.
Benjamin Butler, whose photograph is encased in this brass medallion, was a famous general, politician, and businessman of the 19th century. Born in 1818, Butler was a native of Lowell, Massachusetts. He studied to be a lawyer at Colby College and began a career in politics as a democrat after graduating. He entered the Lowell militia in 1840 and rose to the rank of colonel by the beginning of the Civil War. Butler was promoted to major general in 1861. He oversaw the 1862 Union occupation of New Orleans while simultaneously making himself a fortune by manufacturing war supplies in Lowell (Butler used his position in New Orleans to ensure that his textile factories got a steady supply of cotton). After the war, Butler was elected Governor of Massachusetts, and he unsuccessfully ran for president in 1884. Butler died in 1893.
Little is known about Ellis and Read of Springfield, who manufactured these political medallions during the civil war.
Several varieties of the Ellis and Read perpetual calendars are known to exist, including variants that feature ferrotypes of Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, George McClellan, and other prominent political figures of the time. They are all highly sought after by collectors and can sell for thousands at auction. There are no Benjamin Butler medallions known to exist, nor have they been listed in any catalog of American political exonumia. Therefore, we believe we have a unique discovery piece for the series of perpetual calendars. You never know what you will find by doing a little digging through Tom’s cluttered office!_
Comments
I like it !
What is the size?
Good question. It's 41 mm.
"..._Benjamin found a perpetual calendar ferrotype located at the bottom of a grimy old box in Tom’s office."
new poster is curious: Company name? Tom?
I think your intern scored. I can find no reference to a butler ferrotype perpetual calendar either.
"You Suck Award" - February, 2015
Discoverer of 1919 Mercury Dime DDO - FS-101
Score!!
Successful BST transactions with: SilverEagles92; Ahrensdad; Smitty; GregHansen; Lablade; Mercury10c; copperflopper; whatsup; KISHU1; scrapman1077, crispy, canadanz, smallchange, robkool, Mission16, ranshdow, ibzman350, Fallguy, Collectorcoins, SurfinxHI, jwitten, Walkerguy21D, dsessom.
Super cool !!!
That's as cool as it gets
Nice... I like it!!
There's definitely some cool history there.
Very nice!
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
That is cool... I have seen similar items for perpetual dates... but not that one. Cheers, RickO
Wow, "sweet" !!!
Does anybody here know how to use this calendar?
Gotta love history. That is so cool.
Successful transactions with: JimTyler, Morgan13, ChangeInHistory, LukeMarshall, Old_Collector, basets , MICHAELDIXON, Waverlycoins, dsessom, privatecoin, SurfinxHI, ZoidMeister, giorgioll, Lakesammman, Twobitcollector, Cazkaboom, Dscoin, Shrub68, CoinHunter4, Cladiator, coinbuf, Elkevvo, ChrisH82, WindyCity, Kccoin, NumisOxide, Meltdown, blaircountycoin, blue62vette, greencopper, Kliao, Downtown1974, BankerBob56, coinlieutenant, cucamongacoin, FranklinFactory, scooter25, erwindoc, bigjpst, and others.
I'm only guessing. It appears the first day of the month is slid in place. See the slide with a small tab on it? So if the month starts on Monday you slide Monday to line up with number one and you're good for the month.
"A dog breaks your heart only one time and that is when they pass on". Unknown
Northeastern Coin
m
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
1853 time to do some research. Anyone know if the side wheeler is of significance? Peace Roy
BST: endeavor1967, synchr, kliao, Outhaul, Donttellthewife, U1Chicago, ajaan, mCarney1173, SurfinHi, MWallace, Sandman70gt, mustanggt, Pittstate03, Lazybones, Walkerguy21D, coinandcurrency242 , thebigeng, Collectorcoins, JimTyler, USMarine6, Elkevvo, Coll3ctor, Yorkshireman, CUKevin, ranshdow, CoinHunter4, bennybravo, Centsearcher, braddick, Windycity, ZoidMeister, mirabela, JJM, RichURich, Bullsitter, jmski52, LukeMarshall, coinsarefun, MichaelDixon, NickPatton, ProfLiz, Twobitcollector,Jesbroken oih82w8, DCW
Can I look thru your 'junk' boxes?
BHNC #203