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NewP Canal Zone Masonic Exonumia- Help Needed

cmerlo1cmerlo1 Posts: 7,890 ✭✭✭✭✭

This is another token from the local B&M token junk box, that I bought yesterday, mainly because it looked both interesting and old. I was able to find a couple of examples of the 'ONE PENNY' side of the coin, but they appeared to be bronze and had a keystone on the other side. I couldn't locate one like this. It appears to be aluminum with a diameter of 32mm. Is this a listed token, and is it rare compared to the bronze keystone type?


You Suck! Awarded 6/2008- 1901-O Micro O Morgan, 8/2008- 1878 VAM-123 Morgan, 9/2022 1888-O VAM-1B3 H8 Morgan | Senior Regional Representative- ANACS Coin Grading. Posted opinions on coins are my own, and are not an official ANACS opinion.

Comments

  • BroadstruckBroadstruck Posts: 30,497 ✭✭✭✭✭

    It's a Masonic Freemason penny.

    To Err Is Human.... To Collect Err's Is Just Too Much Darn Tootin Fun!
  • DCWDCW Posts: 6,934 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Very nice motif on the reverse. Usually just see the Masonic Pennies in copper. Great pickup from the junk box!

    Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
    "Coin collecting for outcasts..."

  • ZoinsZoins Posts: 33,811 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November 10, 2019 11:47AM

    Very nice @cmerlo1. I look for Masonic Pennies on occasion and have never seen one from the Canal Zone or with this motif or in white metal. I’ve been to the Canal Zone and would love a piece like that. It's a keeper :)

  • jonathanbjonathanb Posts: 3,411 ✭✭✭✭✭

    This is listed on tokencatalog.com, although your pics are wildly better than theirs.

    I don't know anything about this specific piece, but Canal Zone exonumia is one of the more-collectible areas of exonumia. Plus the ship side is very attractive. If I saw that on eBay with a final sale price in the $100-$200 range, it wouldn't surprise me at all. Nice pickup!

  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Neat token.....have not seen one like it before....Lucky pick-up....Cheers, RickO

  • cmerlo1cmerlo1 Posts: 7,890 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Thanks, everyone!

    You Suck! Awarded 6/2008- 1901-O Micro O Morgan, 8/2008- 1878 VAM-123 Morgan, 9/2022 1888-O VAM-1B3 H8 Morgan | Senior Regional Representative- ANACS Coin Grading. Posted opinions on coins are my own, and are not an official ANACS opinion.
  • dorancoinsdorancoins Posts: 2,091 ✭✭✭

    @Broadstruck said:
    It's a Masonic Freemason penny.

    You stand correct. To be more precise - one from a Masonic body known as the Royal Arch Masons, also known in Masonic circles as Chapter. It is one of the three appendant bodies of York Rite. I'm sure you've heard of Scottish Rite or a 32 Degree Mason. York Rite is similar but different. In York Rite, in addition to Chapter, there are the other two bodies - The Cryptic Council of Masons and the Knights Templar. If you're in Freemasonry, you probably have heard of them. I was a member of the York Rite here in Illinois and was the head of the respective bodies, so I have firsthand experience.

    DORAN COINS - On Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), & www.dorancoins.net - UPCOMING SHOWS (tentative dates)- 10/8/2023 - Fairfield, IL, 11/5/2023 - Urbana, IL., 12/3/2023 - Mattoon, IL.
  • cmerlo1cmerlo1 Posts: 7,890 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @dorancoins said:

    @Broadstruck said:
    It's a Masonic Freemason penny.

    You stand correct. To be more precise - one from a Masonic body known as the Royal Arch Masons, also known in Masonic circles as Chapter. It is one of the three appendant bodies of York Rite. I'm sure you've heard of Scottish Rite or a 32 Degree Mason. York Rite is similar but different. In York Rite, in addition to Chapter, there are the other two bodies - The Cryptic Council of Masons and the Knights Templar. If you're in Freemasonry, you probably have heard of them. I was a member of the York Rite here in Illinois and was the head of the respective bodies, so I have firsthand experience.

    Thank you- this is great information! I'm not a Freemason, but my grandfather was...

    You Suck! Awarded 6/2008- 1901-O Micro O Morgan, 8/2008- 1878 VAM-123 Morgan, 9/2022 1888-O VAM-1B3 H8 Morgan | Senior Regional Representative- ANACS Coin Grading. Posted opinions on coins are my own, and are not an official ANACS opinion.
  • tokenprotokenpro Posts: 846 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Your CZ Masonic is most probably part of a broken up presentation set. There were many different die sinkers that made Masonic pennies; when an order came in for mark pennies the die sinker would also offer sets of the pennies or shekels struck in different metals (often 5-7 different) for special occasions or recognition and in some cases, just as with Civil War tokens and early storecards, for collectors on demand. Sometimes they were struck in other metals on spec as salesmen's samples but this practice seems to be much less common as stock pennies of generic design in various metals were usually available. Probably 90% of the chapter pennies were struck in copper; the usual five piece presentation set came in copper, bronze, brass, aluminum and silver. Both pennies and shekels were also struck in german silver, copper nickel, lead and gold. Some chapters had multiple orders filled, often from different die sinkers, which resulted in major and minor die varieties and multiple reverses within each chapter.

    The King catalog of Masonic Chapter Pennies was first published in 1930 basically as a catalog of the collection in the Museum of the House of the Temple in Washington D.C. but with input from other collections as well. King lists only two chapters in the Canal Zone up to that time, the Canal Zone Chapter No. 1 at Ancon with both a standard keystone reverse and the pictorial reverse as on the OP token, and Cristobal Chapter No. 2 at Cristobal. Any other chapters were probably constituted after 1930. King only lists examples in copper which suggests that the OP piece is part of a presentation set.

    There is a new catalog available through many of the numismatic literature dealers, "Masonic Chapter Pennies Of The United States & Canada" by W.J. Waken, Richard Watley and Steve Waken which combines pennies in most of the largest collections viewed over the past 50 years by two of the most avid collectors along with the House of the Temple collection and many of the individual state Masonic bodies and other museum collections. Chapter pennies are one of the most undercollected areas of exonumia as large collections can be assembled for less than $10 per token.

  • cmerlo1cmerlo1 Posts: 7,890 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Thank you, @tokenpro !!!!

    You Suck! Awarded 6/2008- 1901-O Micro O Morgan, 8/2008- 1878 VAM-123 Morgan, 9/2022 1888-O VAM-1B3 H8 Morgan | Senior Regional Representative- ANACS Coin Grading. Posted opinions on coins are my own, and are not an official ANACS opinion.
  • dorancoinsdorancoins Posts: 2,091 ✭✭✭

    @cmerlo1 said:

    @dorancoins said:

    @Broadstruck said:
    It's a Masonic Freemason penny.

    You stand correct. To be more precise - one from a Masonic body known as the Royal Arch Masons, also known in Masonic circles as Chapter. It is one of the three appendant bodies of York Rite. I'm sure you've heard of Scottish Rite or a 32 Degree Mason. York Rite is similar but different. In York Rite, in addition to Chapter, there are the other two bodies - The Cryptic Council of Masons and the Knights Templar. If you're in Freemasonry, you probably have heard of them. I was a member of the York Rite here in Illinois and was the head of the respective bodies, so I have firsthand experience.

    Thank you- this is great information! I'm not a Freemason, but my grandfather was...

    Coming from my experiences in Freemasonry, it is a good organization to be in. Been a member for almost 25 years. You should consider joining. Your local Masonic Lodge can help.

    DORAN COINS - On Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), & www.dorancoins.net - UPCOMING SHOWS (tentative dates)- 10/8/2023 - Fairfield, IL, 11/5/2023 - Urbana, IL., 12/3/2023 - Mattoon, IL.

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