Colonial experts - How do you tell genuine Castorland Medals from copies?
FC57Coins
Posts: 9,140 ✭
I purchased these two medals this weekend thinking they were copies and didn't pay too much attention to them. Today I was looking at them and nowhere on the medals does it say "copy" or any such thing. I looked on the edge of each medal - one says BR which I assume means Bronze and one says ARGENT which means silver in French. Both have a small mint mark looking thing next to the previously mentioned words. It kinda looks like an infinity sign. As I said - Im pretty certain that these are just copies - but would like to know how to differentiate them from the real thing - these are slightly larger than half dollars. Thanks for the help.
Frank
Frank
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Frank
According to Michael Hodder (Stack's cataloger and one of the world's foremost authorities on colonial coins) as written in the 2001 O'Donnell catalog, truly original Castorland Tokens were silver and had ". . . edges reeded in a Castaing machine and show no other edge markings. They were first made as tokens for the directors of the ill-fated Castorland Company and were distributed as gifts for attending annual meetings. They were kept as pocket pieces and the originals are almost always found with many nicks, edge bruises and other signs of handling."
The Roper catalog (Stack's 1983 offering of the John Roper collection, one of the finest ever assembled) offered another silver example described as an original also with a reeded edge and noted the following: "All the characterisitcs of an original, including the old style cramped lettering, and irregularly spaced date, no die break at S of Parens and traces of die rust at the vessel handle".
There are restrikes struck in silver and copper/bronze from these same original dies also exhibiting die rust near the vessel handle. These are typically proofs, often in high grade and generally slabbed as 'originals' as in 'restrike struck form the original dies'.
And then there are modern restrikes, struck from different dies, which generally are much finer in composition.
I could go on and on citing other catalog decriptions, but perhaps you get the idea.
Although there may be some controversy as to how to determine early strikes from the original dies - true originals - I ignore die rust and look to the edge. If the edge is coarsely reeded, I'll call it original. Fine reeding and plain edges are signs of a later concoction. But I could be wrong, of course...
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
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Does this mean, that the copper medals are also originals?
Then there is this on coinfacts.com
<< <i>In the February 2005 issue of NUMISMATIST (page 63), William Anton offered a 1796 Brass Castorland Half Dollar for $245,000.00, describing it as follows: "Unique, struck in brass and probably the finest Castorland struck. Gem Proof. Ex. J.H.U." >>
Brass? I only heard about copper and silver... very confusing...
<< <i>Original 1796 Castorland Jeton in Copper One of Three Known
1796 Castorland Medal, struck in copper from the Original dies, Choice Proof.
This is an extremely rare item, certainly rarer than the original silver pieces from the same dies. Currently listed as ‘unique' in the new Krause World Coin book, but at least three examples are known (this piece, the Norweb:1406, which was catalogued mistakenly as a restrike [and later sold by us in 1996 for $2,200.00], and the example we sold in our June 1998 sale for $2,242.50). The reverse shows the die rust by the right handle of the pot used to collect the sap from the maple(?) tree, but there is no trace of the die break which distinguishes the restrikes from the originals. The edge is plain, which is consistent with a base metal issue (the silver pieces have a coarse edge reeding). Later restrikes and copies, in all metals, have a reeded edge and (usually) a mint mark or a designation, in French, of the metal type used. Few people are aware of the rarity or importance of this piece, as it is unlisted in the GUIDEBOOK. This classic rarity should be worth more than the silver Originals, and perhaps, as more collectors are educated about this series, it will achieve its proper price level. Because the restrikes have been made since 1796, and are still being made today, it was once thought that a large number of different dies and die combinations were in use. In reality, the number of different dies is small, and the number of die combinations is also not large. Even when the different metal and die combinations are considered, collectors will be surprised at how few different coins there actually are." This is a wonderful opportunity to obtain one of only three examples known of this rarity! Formerly Lot 517 in our June 24, 1995 Mail Bid Auction, where it realized $1,718.25; later from our June 2002 sale, Lot 1034, where it realized $3,737.50 >>
I always thought that Breen (Sections 1058-72) did the best job of explaining the characteristics of originals as compared to restrikes and reproductions:
" original dies have old style lettering on the obverse, A is below M, 1 of the date is embedded in the border bead. On reverse, S is far below AL, M below AG, UG touch, remainder irregurlarly spaced. All originals seen to date have traces of rust near vessel handle but no bulge at PARENS and no break at final S......"
Hope that helps.
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