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Bedrock of the Community
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My 1835 Half Cent, a circulated example with pleasant color.   Member ANA - EAC - TNA - SSDC - CCT #890 "Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done." -- Louis D. Brandeis |
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Pillar of the Community
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4421 Posts |
Many Half Cents were counterstamped with a variety of puzzling, designed logo punches. Below are shown two such examples that I've been struggling to attribute for about thirty years now. The stamped star, positioned above the single word "MY", strongly suggests a connection to the abolition of slavery movement. At least a half dozen of these have been recorded, and three, matching stamps are in my collection; all, hosted upon 1835 Half Cents. Might these have been connected to the underground railroad, with the star being the North Star? Take note that the latest dated host coins for this issue are 1835, which was a peak time for the movement, having gone more public. I'd love to make a documented, historic connection on this counterstamp issue!   Another puzzling counterstamp that typically appears on Half Cents is this O & G logo. I have four of these on 1835 Half Cents and one on an 1837 large cent, being the latest dated host coin. This is yet another puzzle, begging attribution!   Edited by ExoGuy
09/28/2019 1:30 pm
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Pillar of the Community
5464 Posts |
Very interesting ExoGuy!  ! |
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Moderator
 United States
189767 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1101 Posts |
ExoGuy, those are fascinating!
I have always until now thought of counterstamped coins as damaged, but your explanations in this forum thread have made me take a more appreciative look at them and their historical significance.
Are there any theories as to what the word "MY" might refer to on the first two examples? Would these have been used on the underground railroad as some kind of secret signal, or are all of these just mysteries we may never know the answer to?
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Bedrock of the Community
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94367 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
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4421 Posts |
Happy to see that a few members are appreciating the c/s's, I am! Many of these early, stamped coins speak to the times during which they circulated. Others, akin to these two 1835 dated coins, leave us with more questions than answers. Quote:
Are there any theories as to what the word "MY" might refer to on the first two examples? Would these have been used on the underground railroad as some kind of secret signal, or are all of these just mysteries we may never know the answer to? There are theories, but none have as yet been proven or substantiated. To me, the most logical possibility is that a conductor on the underground railway might have given one of these "MY star" coins to a runaway slave to show at the next station, heading north. This is pure conjecture though; this, unless some contemporary, 1830-40's documentation someday surfaces. More than likely, we'll never know, yet hope springs eternal. Edited by ExoGuy
09/28/2019 1:50 pm
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Pillar of the Community
5464 Posts |
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Happy to see that a few members are appreciating the c/s's, I am! Don't know what I'm looking at but I know it's unique, interesting and very cool! |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12057 Posts |
@Exo the back almost looks like it reads "T a W M Y" using the A from HALF :P
Member ANA - EAC - TNA - SSDC - CCT #890 "Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done." -- Louis D. Brandeis |
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Bedrock of the Community
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94367 Posts |
This thread has been most educational for collectors and fans of this underappreciated series.
Edited by Coinfrog
09/28/2019 8:36 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4421 Posts |
Quote:
@Exo the back almost looks like it reads "T a W M Y" using the A from HALF @ Paralyse .... The c/s on this 1835 is a star above MY. It's identical to other known examples, like the 1833 Half Cent, pictured below. What you're seeing on the 1835 are a few scratched-in letters, graffiti.  |
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Pillar of the Community
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5825 Posts |
Because of a pending minor medical procedure I may not be able to join in the the next series, the Braided Hair Half Cents. And definitely not the 1840-1848 group since I don't have any. Like I said previously, I don't do proof coins plus they are WAY too expensive. |
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Nice '34, jbuck! Thank you!  |
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Pillar of the Community
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ExoGuy, now we find out there are doublestruck counterstamps! Very neat. I was wondering if the "star MY" could also stand for some business like Star Mercantile Yukon or some such thing. I even googled star mercantile and found a couple, one in West Virginia and one in Idaho. Nothing in the Yukon. I can see that this counterstamp collecting can be a real brain stretcher. |
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Posted 09/27/2019 10:54 pm
