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The E-Sylum: Volume 3, Number 45, October 29, 2000, Article 8CONFEDERATE HALF DOLLAROne of your editor's favorite coins is the Confederate Half dollar. A visitor to my web site wrote about a coin in their possession: "It is an 1861 Confederate Half Dollar. Now please don't think I'm crazy, I know the chances are 5 billion to 1, if not more, but there you go. How else can you tell (other than weight) if it is a copy, and are the whereabouts of the real coins known? Why would someone make a copy of this? If it is a copy is it worth about 2 cents? Even if it is a copy, I learned a bit of history last night, and it was great fun. Thank you so much for replying, and if its real, hey; you can help us celebrate!!" My response: "Well, there are restrikes and there are copies. Copies are a dime a dozen, but the restrikes are actually collectible and worth $2,000 - $3,000. I had two at one time, but sold one. There were only four originals made and all are accounted for, although I don't personally know the whereabouts of the fourth specimen. One is in the collection of the American Numismatic Society in New York, one in the hands of a St. ouis collector, and the Jefferson Davis specimen is in the hands of an Arizona collector. The fourth was sold to a private collector about 25 years ago. [Perhaps one of our readers knows its whereabouts - Editor] The restrikes were made from the original dies by striking them on a planed-off 1861 Half Dollar. The diagnostics are:
Here's an illustration of the Confederate Half RESTRIKE in the ANS collection: http://ans.openarchaeology.com/cgi-bin/showobj?accnum=1906.98.5" Wayne Homren, EditorContent presented in The E-Sylum is not necessarily researched or independently fact-checked, and views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society. This is a static archive page documenting the originally published content. Links were active at the time of publication but may no longer work. Check subsequent issues for corrections and commentary. The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. For more information please see our web site at http://www.coinbooks.org/ There is a membership application available on the web site. To join, print the application and return it with your check to the address printed on the application. Visit the Membership page. Those wishing to become new E-Sylum subscribers (or wishing to Unsubscribe) can go to the following web page link. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: E-Sylum Editor Copyright © 1998 - 2020 The Numismatic Bibliomania Society (NBS) |
