NUMISMATIC NUGGETS: NOVEMBER 24, 2019

PREV ARTICLE NEXT ARTICLE FULL ISSUE PREV FULL ISSUE

V22 2019 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 22, Number 47, November 24, 2019, Article 16

Here's a selection of interesting or unusual items I came across in the marketplace this week. Tell us what you think of some of these. -Editor

inscribed FOR COMPOSING THE BEST SERIOUS GLEE MDCCLXXIV / STEPN PAXTON OF LONDON / 'Violoncellist'; the reverse with Orpheus and Bacchus inscribed LETS DRINK AND LETS SING TOGETHER, Catch Club, instituted London 1762, the medal signed T. PINGO F., in original fishskin case

Catalogue Note
The Catch Club was originally founded in 1761 (and instituted a year later) to encourage the composition and performance of glees, catches and canons. Viscount Gladstone in his 1930 essay, The Story of the Noblemen and Gentleman's Catch Club, writes that from May 1762 it was decided to institute a gold medal worth 10 guineas 'for the best catch, canon and glee, words and music'. He also refers to the present medal being 'in the possession of Miss Willmott'.

Stephen Paxton won three of the club's medals for 'How Sweet, How Fresh' (1779), 'Round the Hapless Andrés Urn' (1781) and 'Blest Power Here See' (1784) for which the present medal was awarded.

From Sotheby's. -Editor

To read the complete lot description, see:
THE CATCH CLUB 1784 GOLD MEDAL (https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2019/spetchley-property-from-the-berkeley-collection/the-catch-club-1784-gold-medal)

This is the first problem-free example of this rarity that we've had the pleasure of offering. From PCGS CoinFacts: On January 24, 1848, James Wilson Marshall noticed some small flakes of yellow metal near the Sutter's Mill project outside Coloma, California. Marshall's discovery turned out to be gold, touching off one of the largest voluntary migration of humans the world has ever known -- the California Gold Rush. In December 1848, the Military Governor of California, Col. R.B. Mason, sent 228 ounces of newly mined gold to the Secretary of War, William L. Marcy. Marcy forwarded the gold to the Philadelphia Mint, with instructions to use the gold for Congressional Medals for Generals Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott. Any leftover gold was to be turned into specially marked Quarter Eagles. 1,389 1848-dated Quarter Eagles were struck from the California gold shipment, each one stamped with a small "CAL." in the upper reverse field. The stamping appears to have been done while the coins were still in the press, as none of the obverse features appear to have been flattened.

While testing this week's ads I clicked on Northeast Numismatics and found a number of great featured items in their inventory. Here's one important rarity I've never had the pleasure of owning. -Editor

From NGC's website: Only four original Confederate Half Dollars were struck in 1861. The Confederate reverse die, however, was kept by Chief Coiner Dr. B. F. Taylor, and in 1879 he sold the die along with his original 1861 Confederate Half Dollar to coin dealer Ebenezer Locke Mason, Jr, who in turn sold the die and coin to J. W. Scott. Scott polished the Confederate reverse die to remove some of the rust that had accumulated and paired it with a new die that gave a brief explanation of the history.

500 of these tokens were struck by Scott in white metal and sold to collectors. After these tokens were minted, Scott overstruck a limited number of 1861 Seated Liberty Dollars with the Confederate reverse in an attempt to mimic the original 1861 Confederate Half Dollar design. There are two types of these restrikes: B-8001, which has the Seated Liberty reverse design prominently visible beneath the Confederate design, and B-8002, which was struck after the Seated Liberty reverse was completely effaced and no longer visible. NGC Price Guide is $13,900.

Here's another great item from Northeast Numismatics. I did own a nice example in my U.S. Civil War collection. -Editor

1943 steel cent planchet strip, used a the Mint for creating 1943 steel cents. The piece measures 3 3/4 inches X 2 3/4 inches. It is housed in a customer Capital Plastic holder, which makes for a very nice presentation! A 1943 steel cent is included within the set as a comparison example.

Wow! What a great piece of numismatic history! From Jon Sullivan's web site. -Editor

To read the complete item description, see:
1c (1943) steel cent web strip (https://www.sullivannumismatics.com/coin/1c-1943-steel-cent-web-strip?v=5593)

THE BOOK BAZARRE

OVER 500 NUMISMATIC TITLES: Wizard Coin Supply has over 500 numismatic titles in stock, competitively discounted, and available for immediate shipment. See our selection at www.WizardCoinSupply.com.