Anyone know about the 1837 Freuchtwanger coins?

killer26 · June 10, 2011 3:22AM

I recently inherited my father's large coin collection. Recently i came across this 1837 Freuchtwanger cent of his. He wrote on the coin's holder "trial pattern for u.s. mint"
He also wrote "very rare." I am somewhat new to the world of coins, but I am becoming more fascinated every day as I go thru his collections. I was just wondering if anyone had any knowledge they could share with me about this coin, perhaps a ball park range of its price or rareness. Any help much appreciated!

CaptHenway · June 10, 2011 3:25AM

Just do a search of Feuchtwanger at the top of the page.

LanLord · June 10, 2011 3:27AM

There is a guy here (Ambro) that knows a heap about them.

TPRC · June 10, 2011 3:52AM

Not rare, unless it is a specific variety. If you post a decent photo, someone here can probably attribute and provide an idea as to value. Also if you do a search on Feuchtwanger and look at the heading with GIF images of varieties, that will tell you most everything you need to know. There are many feuchtwanger posts, almost all initiated by Ambro.

killer26 · June 10, 2011 4:17AM

Ok thank u very much for ur help.

ambro51 · June 10, 2011 8:08AM

Im sure you will find many treasures in that collection! Resist the urge to sell anything until you learn about it....

Anyway, Feuchtwangers. (its pronounced Foikt'-vahng-er)...these are some of the most amazing numismatic pieces out there. They are still a mystery in many ways, we can tell more now about them as a coin than we can tell about why they exist and who made them.

They were indeed a private pattern in theory, Dr. Feuchtwanger lobbied congress and the mint over and over trying to get them to adopt 'his' metal alloy for US minor coinage. In 1837, you had big chunky old large cents, or you had a silver half dime...but also during that year, certain government programs caused nearly all US Federal coinage to dissapear from circulation. Tokens, usually the same size as the large cent...circulated freely at one cent value (though they were undenominated).

Possibly just a chance occurance but that year of 1837, with a national spiece (small change) shortage...the Feuchtwanger cents circulated freely, mostly in New York City, where Dr. Lewis Feuchtwanger was very well known. He later stated he struck one million and a half of them. However, curiously...no records exist at all regarding who designed them, who engraved the dies, where exactly they were stuck, when, in what variety order, numbers minted....nothing in known. nothing.

We do know about the coins as 'collectors pieces' though. And now some will tell you they are not rare but understand most posters on this board are advanced collectors who know how to 'get' coins and can no doubt lay their hands on several instantly. BUT, realize that all in all...in all of Coindom, there are no more than 20,000 of these in existance. If you compare that to numbers of some other RARE coins, such as the 1893 S Morgan Dollar, the 1909 SVDB cent....you realize that actually they are rare.

But rarity is a popularity contest, and while the Feuchtwanger Cent is a Ubercool coin, and IS listed in the Guide Book (red book), IS slabbed by PCGS, IS part of 25 coin series....the collector interst is limited to an occasional collector and a few dedicated specialists.

Like any other coin, there are varieties and they will all look alike to you until you study them and learn to pick out a few quickie diagnostics, then its easier to recognize them by sight than to read a description (frequently wrong anyway).

In 1956 Walter Breen studied a HUGE group of these, I think the number was over 300 pieces, pulled from dealers stocks and collections.....he found six obverses, and nine reverses. They exist in 14 pairings. Five are very rare, with maybe only a total of 50 in existance...The middle group exists in the hundreds each and one in particular, known as the 6I is the MOST common of the group of 20000 survivors or so. At least 65% of these are variety 6I. Its also the easiest one to tell apart. Look on the reverse, and count the berries, If you have 13, look and see if one to the left of the ribbon bow looks more like a "stem" than a berry. If you see that, its a 6I. If not, well, google feuchtwanger cent varieties and a link will come up with a numissociety thread with a good diagnostic picture matchup.

Its all really about condition after you determine variety, and the only way to get a good handle on that is if you can get a few good close up photos or maybe hi res scans.

The coin is struck on German Silver, for which Feuchtwanger claimed to be the inventor, and holder of certain patents. It consisted of Copper, Nickel, Zinc, and Iron. The patented part came in in that the alloy needed to be formed in a pressure cooker situation since the boiling point of zinc was too close to the melting point of nickel. The pressure allowed the alloy to form.

In the end, the Mint rejected all of Feuchtwangers proposals. Politics of the day, mining interests...a poor report regarding the difficulty of assay of the metal by the mint and inconsistant percentages of metals...all resulted in NO offical contracts with Feuchtwanger. He did though, manage to coin over $15000 face value of circulating money and pass it off. Who got the last laugh??

He was vindicated in the end. The current cent, adopted diameter wise in 1857, was 19mm, the same as Feuchtwangers. The metal used by the government was copper nickel,....an alloy very similar but without the zinc. It resulted in a yellow looking coin which soon became discolored. UNLIKE the Feuchtwanger cent which retained its silvery brightness better than silver itself. Indeed, the Feuchtwanger cents looked so much like silver, that at some point in their lives, many have gotten scratched on the reverse, most likely to see if it was 'plated'...or maybe to figure out if it was soft like silver..who knows..but, a lot carry this war wound.

Actual circulation of these is also unknown. MANY are worn, some worn down to thin wafers of metal. But, many are nice nearly uncirculated pieces. Most though, show SOME wear, but still are well within collector grades. I personally think that once these got worn, well worn...they took on a New Life as an Old Thin Dime. They nearly match the old Bust dimes in size! but, thats only a theory.

If you get really really interested in these, aside from reading my ramblings..Q. David Bowers wrote a Great Chapter on them, which accounts for nearly all the known information, in one of his books, "MORE Adventures with Rare Coins" (dont forget the MORE).

kiyote · June 10, 2011 8:22AM

Feuchtwangers? Off the top of my head I can't think of anyone on here that knows about them but here's a Wiki page.

Wiki page

ambro51 · June 10, 2011 8:24AM

where has the top of your head been the last year?