Stone Mountain counterstamped halves
Billet7
Posts: 4,923 ✭✭✭
An interesting little tidbit of numismatic history: (Copied directly from the Numismatic Americana Website.)
"In early 1925 the Stone Mountain Monumental Association was looking for different ways to market and help sell their newly issued commemorative. With the profits derived from the sale of a proposed 2,000,000+ coins at $1 each, the Association hoped to defray the cost of carving the massive granite sculpture in Stone Mountain, Georgia.
Along with enlisting the help of banks, insurance companies, and others, the group came up with the idea of “special” counterstamped pieces. There are basically three types of counterstamps, and they are as follows:
1) Regular. Coins were stamped with the state (in abbreviated form) and a number (randomly selected, essentially by a lottery system). These were generally auctioned off in a publicity stunt to raise more money for the Association, and to create a false sense of value for the regular coin being sold at a “mere” $1. Many of the auctioned pieces sold for hundreds of dollars.
2) United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC). These pieces were stamped with the state, number, and UDC. In this instance, the number was the chapter number for the local UDC group. Much scarcer than the regular counterstamp.
3) GL and SL. These were awards to young “white” women between the ages of 15 and 25, who were successful in winning a sales competition of regular Stone Mountain Commemoratives in their locale. “GL” stands for Gold Lavalier, while the “SL” is for Silver Lavalier. Basically first and second place. All these pieces were awarded in bezels, gold for the “GL”, and silver for the “SL”. Sadly, when these pieces came into the “numismatic” community, many of them were stripped of their bezels, as the real story of them was unknown."
Below is the one I recently aquired from a fellow board member. If you have one, please post it...it would be good to have a visual record of surviving pieces.
"In early 1925 the Stone Mountain Monumental Association was looking for different ways to market and help sell their newly issued commemorative. With the profits derived from the sale of a proposed 2,000,000+ coins at $1 each, the Association hoped to defray the cost of carving the massive granite sculpture in Stone Mountain, Georgia.
Along with enlisting the help of banks, insurance companies, and others, the group came up with the idea of “special” counterstamped pieces. There are basically three types of counterstamps, and they are as follows:
1) Regular. Coins were stamped with the state (in abbreviated form) and a number (randomly selected, essentially by a lottery system). These were generally auctioned off in a publicity stunt to raise more money for the Association, and to create a false sense of value for the regular coin being sold at a “mere” $1. Many of the auctioned pieces sold for hundreds of dollars.
2) United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC). These pieces were stamped with the state, number, and UDC. In this instance, the number was the chapter number for the local UDC group. Much scarcer than the regular counterstamp.
3) GL and SL. These were awards to young “white” women between the ages of 15 and 25, who were successful in winning a sales competition of regular Stone Mountain Commemoratives in their locale. “GL” stands for Gold Lavalier, while the “SL” is for Silver Lavalier. Basically first and second place. All these pieces were awarded in bezels, gold for the “GL”, and silver for the “SL”. Sadly, when these pieces came into the “numismatic” community, many of them were stripped of their bezels, as the real story of them was unknown."
Below is the one I recently aquired from a fellow board member. If you have one, please post it...it would be good to have a visual record of surviving pieces.
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Comments
Drunner
(Looking for A Stone Mtn. in a Doily)
Steve
Link
For anyone considering this one, I would advise due diligence - the images of the TEXAS's I have aren't abbreviated. I'll see if I can find an image of a TEX over VA.
Steve
Steve
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
Steve
Sean Reynolds
"Keep in mind that most of what passes as numismatic information is no more than tested opinion at best, and marketing blather at worst. However, I try to choose my words carefully, since I know that you guys are always watching." - Joe O'Connor
Steve
Doubtful buddy, people from Texas aren't a proud people and prefer to purchase New Mexico, Arkansas and Louisiana material as we don't need reminders!
<< <i>Looks good to me from the pictures, and I am pretty sure I have seen other TEX over VA counterstamps, possibly in the Stacks archives. Any bets on the hammer price of that one? I know a few specialists here who will likely see this thread and drive the price up.
Doubtful buddy, people from Texas aren't a proud people and prefer to purchase New Mexico, Arkansas and Louisiana material as we don't need reminders! >>
HA!