The E-Sylum:  Volume 6, Number 50, November 23, 2003, Article 9

JOHN FORD TAPE AND CHARLESTON SLAVE TAGS

  Gathering dust in your editor's home office were a set of
  audio cassette tapes.  They appeared to be unlabeled but
  inside the case were notes I'd made indicating that they were
  from a previous American Numismatic Association convention.
  "I'll label these properly when I have some time," I surely
  said to myself, and of course, the time never came.  I believe
  further research will confirm that these are from the Baltimore
  convention in 1993.  The note with this tape indicated it was
  a recording of John J. Ford speaking at 4pm Thursday, probably
  as part of the Numismatic Theatre.  I listened to it in my car
  over the course of a couple days, and although it was hard to
  hear parts of the talk, it was very interesting and informative.

  One part of the talk touched on coins as an investment, and
  he mentioned the 1881-S Morgan Dollar, which is plentiful in
  high grades.  "I handled 127 bags of 1881-S dollars.  That's
  127,000 coins.  They aren't rare."   [I'm paraphrasing here -
  this isn't a transcript of his exact words.]

  As an example of something he collects that IS rare, Ford
  mentioned Charleston, S.C. slave tags.  Ford had been
  accumulating these for years at $100-$200 apiece.  His
  collection of slave tags was about to be auctioned by Stacks,
  and Ford estimated they would bring $1,000-$2,000 apiece.

  For reference, here are links to some interesting web pages
  about the badges.
  http://charleston.net/stories/022403/loc_24badges.shtml

  http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues03/feb03/object.html
  http://www.atlantahistorycenter.com/turningpoint/pages/6.3.htm
  http://www.wakeforestcoins.com/slave%20badges/slave%20badges.htm

  At the Stack's sale, I believe some slave tags brought
  considerably more than  Ford's estimates.

  Ford's other topics included dealer B. Max Mehl, Ford's
  discovery of Walter Breen, and a brazen broad-daylight
  theft of rare early American medals from the New-York
  Historical Society.

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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