The E-Sylum:  Volume 7, Number 48, November 28, 2004, Article 10

MORTON COUNTERMARKED CENT A SLAVE COIN?

  Rich Jewell writes: "I read the article about slave money in
  The E-Sylum and I imagine every large cent with a hole in it
  wouldn't necessarily be a slavery memento (probably not the
  politically correct term), but wouldn't it be interesting to prove
  or disprove?

  I have in my possession a 1823 Large cent, with a punched hole
  in it between the last two stars and touching the following hair of
  Miss Liberty. The odd thing about this cent is it is counterstamped
  across its cheek and earlobe with "A Morton New York 1858".

  Imagine the possibilities for this coin, if it did in fact belong to
a
  slave at one time!

   A) Freed slave by the name of A.Morton lives in New
        York in 1858
   B) Escaped slave A.Morton living in freedom in New York
         in 1858, slavery still exists in other parts of USA

  None of the above may be even close to the truth.....but would
  any of your readers be interested in researching the facts as
  provided. I myself wouldn't even know where to begin (that's a
  little inaccurate, I did try to find an A. Morton in New York
  during 1858 on the Internet and came up with nada)!
  Just some more food for thought!!"

  [According to Gregory Brunk in his "Merchant and Privately
  Countermarked Coins" (2003), "According to the 1856 New
  York Commercial Register, A. Morton made gold pens and
  their cases at 25 Maiden Lane. The 1857 in this countermark
  is probably a patent date."

  The book lists four known specimens with the "A. MORTON /
  NEW YORK / 1857" COUNTERMARK   (two large cents
  dated 1843 and 1854, and two Half Dimes dated 1832 and
  1857).  If Rich reported the date incorrectly, and it's "1857",
  then his coin would be the fifth reported specimen.  If his coin
  really is "1858" then it would be the first reported specimen of
  that type.

  Could A. Morton have been a freed slave?  It's an interesting
  speculation, but we'll probably never know.  -Editor]

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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