Official "Post A Counterstamp" Thread....

First CRH counterstamp find of 2017! 1976-D Lincoln Cent:

Tonight I found my 5th state counterstamped coin. Only 45 more to go!

Excellent!

No problem. Very nice!

@ Paralyse .... Searching my online listings of 19th century directories, I found one "C.M. Mills" listed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1881. He was a "stove mounter" then residing at 97 Woodbine. While I wouldn't call this a slam dunk attribution, the relatively uncommon surname and combination of initials suggest that he's a probable issuer. Many metal workers were masons who made their own stamps or had a brother mason make a stamp for them.

Brunk doesn't list this issue, but that's often the case. A "stove mounter" wouldn't likely have used coins to advertise, but a stove maker might. Wills might have pursued other metal trades, prior, tin works, perhaps? Another possibility is that "C.M. Wills" might have once sought a patent? For $5, you got a deal, a cool mystery. Now, how many first names start with the letter C .... Charles, Christian, Chester, Clyde, etc. Have fun!

How about this, Exo, from the 121st Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers (Civil War)

"CORPORALS. First Corporal Charles M. Wills; age 24; enlisted August 20, 1862; promoted to sergeant September 21, 1863; wounded May 10, 1864; promoted to first sergeant September 22, 1864; taken prisoner October 1, 1864 at Poplar Grove Church, Va.; promoted to second lieutenant February 1, 1865."

Not sure a soldier in the Civil War would have bothered to stamp a Two Cent Piece, though the initials are right (C. M. Wills).

That particular skirmish during the Siege of Petersburg (Poplar Grove/Peeble Farm) was pretty short (30 Sept-1 Oct) & was a decisive Rebel victory, with 1/2 of Mr. Wills' regt. being captured. He must have been released or bonded over and was apparently brevetted to 2LT, or earned the rating, right before Hatcher's Run (6 Feb) having presumably rejoined with the 121st, itself now attached to 3rd Bde, 3rd Div, V Corps under Warren (Crawford, Morrow.)

There was also a Pvt. Charlie M. Wills who was called up in 1917 from the California NG (K Co, 7th Inf -> assigned to 160 Inf, 80 Bde, 40 Div USAR, the "40th ID", 1917 -> 6th Depot Div, being a replenishment for the AEF front-line divisions @ St-Nazaire & during the Meuse offensive, France)

Probably this is an entirely different C. M. Wills who stamped this two-cent piece, but it's sure fun to imagine, especially with me being somewhat of a history buff... :)

I agree, Exo. Most of the CW coin art I see (that's authentic) is engraved, not punched or stamped, but it's fun to detour a bit and "what if." I mainly bought it just because I didn't have a 2c counterstamped example yet and it was really cheap at 5 bucks. I've also got a counterstamped coronet large cent & a counterstamped George III cartwheel penny. On the not-so-cheap scale was a Houck's Panacea counterstamped bust half I saw on ebay last night that I couldn't even remotely afford, but it sure looked pretty. :P

Maybe I need a type set, see if I can find a counterstamped FEC, IHC, 3c nickel, Shield nickel, liberty, so on and so forth up, at least up to the halves.

I may have posted this, but I don't remember....