Brasher Doubloons...

Artist · August 31, 2005 9:49AM

"NOVA*EBORACA*COLUMBIA" "EXCELSIOR"

This is what is written on the Brasher Doubloon...

anyone know what it means??

I am really curious...

Pistareen · August 31, 2005 9:55AM

Nova = New
Eboraca = Latinate rendering of "York," after Eboracum, the Roman name of the settlement that became York, England
Columbia = equivalent to America.
Excelsior = Ever Upward, the state motto of New York

So, New York in America, Ever Upward.

ColonialCoinUnion · August 31, 2005 10:08AM

I think we should start a segment here called 'Stump the Numismatist' where we all ask Pistareen any question we want about coins.

I'll bet there is no question he cannot answer.

Pistareen · August 31, 2005 10:12AM

CCU --

Ask me why anyone would ever pay 5 figures for a Jefferson nickel and I'll I can offer is a blank stare.

Aside from that, I'm game. I can at lease make something up and have it sound persuasive.

Regulated · August 31, 2005 10:12AM

That side of the coin is essentially the NY State coat of arms.

Regulated · August 31, 2005 10:13AM

I'll write questions for John.

Pistareen · August 31, 2005 10:13AM

David --

How would you know? It's not like you carry one around with you to coin shows or anything.

Hey -- isn't it still work hours in Tiburon? Does Don know you do this on the clock?

Regulated · August 31, 2005 10:14AM

He might know...

Pistareen · August 31, 2005 10:15AM

C'mon David. Show off some. Post a picture of your Brasher for the kids playing along at home.

Regulated · August 31, 2005 10:17AM

I would rather post the Barry Doubloon. Its much cooler.

Pistareen · August 31, 2005 10:18AM

You could do both. Especially since most folks here have no idea what a Barry Doubloon is.

Regulated · August 31, 2005 10:21AM

I don't have the pictures on my computer. I'm such a loser.

D · August 31, 2005 10:31AM

I think everyone should have a Barry Doubloon.

-Daniel

Regulated · August 31, 2005 10:33AM

Too bad there's only one to go around.

Ed62 · August 31, 2005 10:33AM

Okay Pistareen, here goes - - - - - There were two US Mints that did not strike $5.00 gold pieces; which ones?

Regulated · August 31, 2005 10:37AM

If John doesn't answer, I'll take a crack at it.

Pistareen · August 31, 2005 10:48AM

Ed --

I'm man enough to try, but I don't know if I can come up with two that didn't:

Philly -- yep
Denver -- yep
San Francisco -- yep
New Orleans -- yep
Carson City -- yep
Charlotte -- yep
Dahlonega -- yep
West Point -- yep.

That covers the standard US Mints. How about other possible answers for this tricky question?

The US Mint at the Dalles, Oregon was built but never struck coins. Last I checked it was the back section of a furniture shop. So the Dalles Mint never struck any.
The San Francisco Provisional Mint (aka the US Assay Office) never struck $5s.
John Harper's basement in Philadelphia, in which the 1792 half dismes and Birch cents were struck, never struck $5s

I'm out of ideas -- help!

Regulated · August 31, 2005 10:51AM

You took the two I would have used (Dalles & USAOG). Bum.

Ed62 · August 31, 2005 10:52AM

If we count the SF Assay office and what's his name's basement there were four; so there is one to go.

You got The Dalles, pretty good.

Pistareen · August 31, 2005 10:54AM

OK Ed -- spill it!

Duh -- I bet I know what it is.

Manila?

Regulated · August 31, 2005 10:55AM

The first Denver Mint? Although as Clark Gruber it struck Half Eagles...

Pistareen · August 31, 2005 10:56AM

David --

it has to be Manila. Can't imagine what else it would be.

tradedollarnut · August 31, 2005 10:57AM

ok - without looking in the catalog - what was the only regular issue coin Eliasberg was missing from his 'complete set'. No, not the 1870-S half dime - that wasn't on the list...

Ed62 · August 31, 2005 10:57AM

Manila it is.

Regulated · August 31, 2005 10:58AM

Very tricky.

Ed62 · August 31, 2005 11:06AM

Okay John --

1.) What was J. Colvin Randall's profession? (I know, it is too easy)

2.) What was his business address? (A little tougher)

3.) What was hung over the doorway? (That should take a while)

4.) Where is his 1849 bronze/gilt double eagle? (Wouldn't we all like to know)

Mistercoinman · August 31, 2005 11:16AM

1797 Strawberry Cent? I may have the date wrong!!

Pistareen · August 31, 2005 11:55AM

I used to be a tour guide at a historic site (Monticello), and visitors used to love to play "Stump the Tour Guide" by asking questions about their peculiar specialty, i.e. 18th century English brass furniture hardware. My fellow tour guides used to joke that there is only one person who can ever lose "stump the tour guide" -- betcha can guess who that is. I'm feeling a similar hot spot here.

TDN -- Eliasberg was missing a lot of things. He defined completeness from a 1930s checklist published by C.E. Green of Chicago, and got everything in that checklist. Therefore, he called it complete. Of course, there were many things than weren't in the checklist that he lacked:

1866 No Motto dollar
1793 Strawberry Leaf
1799 cent (Breen discovered this in the mid 1950s, as the one E-berg had was a fake)
I believe there was a "modern" that he lacked as well but was added sometime later to keep the collection complete.

Which one do you have in mind?

Ed --

J. Colvin Randall was a druggist, not sure of his address, but I bet he had a mortar and pestle as a shop sign. His gilt 1849 double eagle was last seen with Stephen Nagy and hasn't been seen since.

Let the record show that I've not gotten off the couch to answer these, but I'm sure I could get better answers for all of them upstairs in the library (which is precisely why I have a library).

tradedollarnut · August 31, 2005 11:57AM

TDN -- Eliasberg was missing a lot of things. He defined completeness from a 1930s checklist published by C.E. Green of Chicago, and got everything in that checklist. Therefore, he called it complete. Of course, there were many things than weren't in the checklist that he lacked:

Yes, but he was even missing something on the checklist. He had a pattern in place of a regular design. Which coin was it? Hmmmm?

dtkk49a · August 31, 2005 12:12PM

How about a hint ? Was the coin dated 1849 ?

lordmarcovan · August 31, 2005 12:20PM

I see this thread became the "Trivia For Numismatic Jedi" thread.

The force is not with me.

JRocco · August 31, 2005 12:24PM

I believe the 1787 Brasher doubloon is considered the most valuable early American coin. My question is- Does anyone have a decent pic of the coin. I have a pic of it in Kenneth Bressett's book- Collectible American Coins, but it is not the same as a digi pic or nice scan. I have always wanted to see one.

D · August 31, 2005 12:29PM

Bah TDN, I was just talking to someone about that the other day too

.

Edit: Here's an article about a Brasher from the PCGS webpage awhile back

Text

-Daniel

tradedollarnut · August 31, 2005 12:29PM

From CoinFacts.com

JRocco · August 31, 2005 12:37PM

Thanks TDN- now I'm going to go back and keep dreaming that I will own that coin someday.

Pistareen · August 31, 2005 12:40PM

OK TDN -- I cry uncle.

Which pattern did E-berg substitute a regular issue for?

Or are you going to make me go look it up?

cladking · August 31, 2005 12:46PM

<< <i>
Ask me why anyone would ever pay 5 figures for a Jefferson nickel and I'll I can offer is a blank stare.

>>

Don't be so modest. There's probably much more you don't know about Jeffersons.

tradedollarnut · August 31, 2005 1:06PM

The 1865 three cent nickel - he had a pattern instead of a regular design.

SethChandler · August 31, 2005 1:56PM

Didn't Big E also have a pattern for the 1858 FE Cent?

Brasher Doubloons...

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