I've noticed a few posts recently regarding Daniel Carr's "Fantasy-Date Over-Strike" pieces, so I thought I would join the party and post the only such pieces I have in my collection.
Aligned with my focus on US commemorative coinage, my examples are "1975" fantasy pieces with the designs of the US bicentennial coinage that carried the dual dates of "1776-1976." Each of the pieces was over struck on a corresponding specially prepared / reworked silver bicentennial coin that was minted in either 1975 or 1976 in San Francisco; Carr also over struck these pieces on CuNi clad coins of the same period.
I stumbled upon the "dollar" piece on
ebay one night a few years ago and decided to purchase it. I then periodically visited Mr. Carr's "Moonlight Mint" web site to check if the other bicentennial coins were also to be over struck as 1975-dated fantasy pieces. Eventually they were, so I was able to purchase the "half dollar" and "quarter" directly from Mr. Carr as they were released.
The silver versions of these medals were available in "High Grade," "Bulk Handled" and "Circulated;" all issues sold out fairly quickly. I chose to go with the "High Grade" examples and then had them graded and encapsulated by ANACS using their special Daniel Carr / Moonlight Mint insert; each features an original Daniel Carr signature.
ANACS refers to each piece as a "token" on its insert, but I would argue that these pieces are medals as from the moment they were struck they never possessed any monetary value. To be a token, a piece has to have a value as a medium of exchange if even only in a limited region or for a limited timeframe. It's worth pointing out that the pieces use the "coin turn" orientation vs. "medal turn" in their striking just as with the original / real coins.
From the data posted on the Moonlight Mint web site, the production dates for these fantasy pieces are as follows:
Quarter: October & November 2013
Half Dollar: October 2013
Dollar: October 2011
The mintages for the silver pieces are as follows:
Quarter: 140 (two varieties, incuse "FG" [17] and raised "FG" [123])
Half Dollar: 106
Dollar: 123
Their original selling prices were:
Quarter: $65 (incuse "FG") / $75 (raised "FG")
Half Dollar: $70
Dollar: $85
As an aside, I think it's great that Mr. Carr provides the details regarding the production of his fantasy pieces - collectors like to know such information!
Mr. Carr has also created a fantasy-date piece for the Oregon Trail Memorial half dollar (it is dated 1927) but I have not yet pursued this piece on the secondary market - who knows what the future holds!
In my collection, I categorize these pieces as "interesting supplements." They will never be part of the core of my collection, but I appreciate them for their craftsmanship, aesthetics and inherent "What if?" quality (an element that always intrigues me).
Enjoy!
Posted 12/23/2016 08:24 am
That one is on my list too along with the Hard Times Token "Panda"
