Home U.S. Coin Forum
Options

A new Elder issued SC$ that arrived today----calling Capt. Henway.........................

keetskeets Posts: 25,351 ✭✭✭✭✭
Thomas Elder had a fond appreciation of Abraham Lincoln which he expressed with a number of medallic tributes beginning in 1909 and ending, I believe, with this issue from the 1939 New York Worlds Fair. I've seen similar gold medals dated 1910, 1927 and 1939. This one's pretty cool although it's quite small, the diameter of a Gold Dollar and the approximate thickness of a 3 Cent Silver; tiny, tiny, tiny. Tom DeLorey catalogues it as D-49, the gold striking being HK-493 in the Hibler/Kappen reference. This is silver with an issue of only 25 pieces. The medal itself is mostly light grey with a splashing of blue/pink/gold on both sides, no rub or contacts, some reverse die polish evident and a Proof Like quality to the crisp strike. Certainly this would be expected to such a limited run, but I'd assume the same dies were used for each different alloy planchet type, and there were several.

As an unlisted SC$ I imagine that NGC will attribute it as HK-493a. I'd certainly appreciate anything that can be added regarding the numbers and the origin since information in my references is miniscule and Mr. Elder can be a tough dog to follow online. As a giant in the early 20th Century Numismatic world he's underappreciated with regard for how he advanced the hobby. Thanks and enjoy the medal for what it is.

Al H.

image

Comments

  • Options
    LeianaLeiana Posts: 4,349
    That's really nifty, sorry I don't have anything to add. But I really like the look of that medal. image Thanks for sharing.

    -Amanda
    image

    I'm a YN working on a type set!

    My Buffalo Nickel Website Home of the Quirky Buffaloes Collection!

    Proud member of the CUFYNA
  • Options
    CaptHenwayCaptHenway Posts: 31,598 ✭✭✭✭✭
    You know as much about them as I know.
    TD
    Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
  • Options
    NumisOxideNumisOxide Posts: 10,989 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Cool and nice low mintage.
  • Options
    mgoodm3mgoodm3 Posts: 17,497 ✭✭✭
    nice color.
    coinimaging.com/my photography articles Check out the new macro lens testing section
  • Options
    keetskeets Posts: 25,351 ✭✭✭✭✭
    You know as much about them as I know.imageimageimage

    tell me, Tom, how much difficulty did you have tracking Elder and his issues?? since he had a tendancy to use the Medallic Art Company i would presume you found many dead ends!!! about two years ago i was stunned to discover that they had "purged" their archives of everything prior to 1976 simply because they could no longer afford to store or transport the stuff whenever they moved. and they were a prolific company in terms of what they issued.

    forum member kranky has told me that his wife grew up in the small Pennsylvania hamlet which gave us the esteemed Thomas Elder; i'm curious to know if anyone is aware of anything there such as a historic sight?? it would be a shame to see his legacy slip away much as Prof. Dickeson has vanished from the annals of recorded history, both individuals who furthered the hobby simply because they thought they should.

    thanks for the kind words thus far.
  • Options
    CaptHenwayCaptHenway Posts: 31,598 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Virtually all of the information I got about his strikings I gleaned by reading every line of every one of his auction calatlogues in the ANA Library. Since I was working there then, it wasn't hard, even though there were about 250+ of them. I'd just take a few home every night and enter findings on a set of file cards.

    Sometimes he quoted one number, sometimes another. He was probably quoting from memory, and his memory was probably like mine. One piece he quoted as unique in silver, and I duly reported it as such. After the articvle appeared, Arlie Slabough came up to me at the ANA convention and beamed "You know the unique 'Prussian Kultur' piece in silver? I have it!" I shook his hand and said "Congratulations! So do I!!!"

    TD
    Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.
  • Options
    Hi TD,

    Recently I aquirred a Hendrik Hudson Daalder in Bronze D-74 (same size as HK-369) from a good friend and fellow collector. This piece was listed as possibly unique in the Presidential sale of the Robert Marcus Collection in 2001 and also by your reference. The only reason that I was able to get it was that my friend had scooped up another one. At the Baltimore show, I showed the piece to Jeff Shevlin who also said that he had one. So far total 3 unique D-74's. The piece has been holdered by NGC with the designation HK-370A. The chase continues.

    Regards,

    Dave

Leave a Comment

BoldItalicStrikethroughOrdered listUnordered list
Emoji
Image
Align leftAlign centerAlign rightToggle HTML viewToggle full pageToggle lights
Drop image/file