Canadian Blacksmith Coppers

Just a post of my last article which I do once every year or so:

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John Lorenzo
United States

Canadian Blacksmith Wood 38 -- A British Import Probably Dated 1771
By: John Lorenzo

Introduction

Blacksmith tokens are crude imitations of British and Irish halfpence as well as being made from dies from discarded American Hard Time Tokens (Starbuck/Peck varieties). They were traditionally thought to have been produced and circulated in the area of Lower Canada (centering in Montreal) and in neighboring areas, as upper state New York and northern New England. The main period for their circulation has been taken to be from about 1825 through 1840.
It was back in February 1996 that this writer had written to Warren Baker concerning the Spanish 2 Real contemporary counterfeits. In this letter in which Baker confirmed they had no relationship to the Canadian Blacksmiths (Blacksmiths). He further indicated "Wood 1 -- 32 are unquestionably Canadian though some (Starbuck/Peck) have American origins. Wood 33-35 I would consider to be "North American." Wood 36 is a copy of the Vexator, and undoubtedly Canadian. Wood 37 and 42 are simply British counterfeits, the typical Bungtowns so ably described by Eric Newman." Baker continues his comments on these Howland Wood Blacksmith varieties as originally written in his 1910 monograph "Wood 38-41, 43 and 44 are all very rare, and are linked to no group. I would speculate that they, and several newly discovered pieces are probably Canadian, as the statement so often has been so often been made that nothing that crude could have been accepted in the United States." Baker continues this thoughts further "I can't answer to the accuracy of that assertion. Of the few Wood 43 and 44 that I know of, they have all come from Lower Canadian groups. In the case of Wood 45 and 46, I believe that Howland Wood should have continued them after Wood No.31 as they are from worn dies, and would more properly follow the Peck/Starbuck series, or the Breton 727 Imitation, Wood 31.
Current thinking that any dated Blacksmith particularly outside the manufacturing period of 1825-1840 must be questioned seriously as suspect particularly involving a severe back dating situation involving the date 1771 and 177X as the Wood 38 die family (Wood 38-a, 38-b & 38-c).
A year earlier in February 1995 we talked about the legend changes on the Wood 33. From some high grade examples I had in my collection in which on the specimens I had read BRTIT and during this period I had also mailed this letter to Bill Anton indicating the probable nature of Wood 33 being a British import and as Atkins had indicated being listed in his book as an Evasion Copper. On high grade examples file marks can be seen into the die on the tops of these letters creating the nonsense legend BITIT which actually was punched into the coin as BRTIT. There maybe other variations to this legend but this Wood variety 33 is obviously British and within this Evasion series.
These letters have been posted on the Yahoo Group -- Blacksmith Chat Room website for further investigators to explore. Any interested collector can contact Jim Spilman or me foe access to this website.

Wood 38 -- the next deleted Blacksmith

With Wood 33 being an English Evasion Copper and Wood 42 also being confirmed as a British import we can now address the next variety which has strong diagnostics as being of English origin. This is the Wood 38 variety. The principal reasons for its deletion as Canadian are based on the following overview:

• Wood 38 the only traceable specimen known to this collector is in the Bank of Canada Collection which can now be viewed at this museum's website under ascension number 1966.0160.02543.000. It is Specimen 84 in the Search results for the term Blacksmith. The Charlton Press catalogue "Canadian Colonial Tokens" by W. K. Cross 5th Edition describes Wood 38 on the obverse as a small faceless head facing right with a broad truncation and a reverse illustrating a crowned harp facing left. Remnants of a "7" can be seen to the right of the harp which is indicative of a 177X date. The back-dating of a coin almost a half a century seems to be a big stretch and its likelihood as a British import is high as with Wood 33 due to its sophisticated legends as compared to other Blacksmiths, its abbreviated British legend and its great extant numbers as being considered erroneously the most common Blacksmith -- or should I say the most commonly found Blacksmith style British origin contemporary counterfeit halfpence.



Canadian Blacksmith Wood 38 -- A British Import Probably Dated



• Wood 38-a as it is currently called by Canadian numismatists was first seen by most U.S. collectors in the Warren Baker Sale of Canadian Blacksmiths held in 1987 by Bowers & Merena Auction Galleries under Lot 1092. Currently there are four specimens known of this type and these are: (1) Warren Baker specimen Lot 1092 -- Bowers & Merena Auction Galleries Frederick Taylor Sale, 1987. The coin is graded VF with a date of 1771. (2) Roy Hughes Specimen Lot 809 and sold by Torex the noted Canadian auctioneer during February 24 & 25, 1995. The cataloguer and as with most of these sales when dealing with Blacksmiths was Warren Baker. The cataloguer had indicated in 1995 that the only other known example in private hands was the Baker: 1092 example. He further indicated that another example was in the Bank of Canada Money Museum Collection. This leads us to the third specimen. (3) Bank of Canada Money Museum Collection. Ascension number 1970.0013.00024.000. The specimen is VG and struck off-center toward K-6 so that the bottom of the shield touches the edge of the coin. This type of off-center error takes out the 1771 date completely from both sides of the harp which probably prompted the museum curator or resident numismatist to give it a sub-variety Wood 38-a classification since it was most similar to the Wood 38 variety. The writer in 1995 had obtained pictures of this museum's Wood 38 specimen and at that time was given a Wood 38-a specimen photo. (4) Stack's Americana Sale -- Lot 6014 and described by the cataloguer as a "1771 contemporary imitation halfpenny. George III Irish type. Blacksmith style. The grade of this specimen is superior to the Baker: 1092 example. This is the finest of the four known examples with the most complete obverse and reverse legends and best state of preservation. Ironically, the pedigree to this piece was that it was acquired from Warren Baker in October 1988 one year after Baker's Sale of Blacksmiths in the Frederick Taylor Sale.
• Of the four known Wood 38-a specimens in this census three of the four are dated 1771 and it is thought that the only Blacksmith style uncrowned harp piece for this sub-variety being dateless due to its off-center nature did lead to a false attribution as a Wood 38-a by the Bank of Canada Museum curator(s). For accuracy is should be realized that Wood 38 is a crowned harp reverse and Wood 38-a has an uncrowned harp reverse. However, Wood 38-a even with this different styled reverse does closely fit into the Wood 38 grouping but in terms of die pairing it could be its own Wood variety.
• The author is calling the final variety in this variety group the next logical variety sequence in Blacksmith classification a Wood 38-b variety. This would be the "Forgotten Coins of the North American Colonies AK-48 plated specimen. This specimen is reverse die linked to the Wood 38-a variety. The obverse of AK-48 or Wood 38-b (if you wish) is currently UNIQUE as no other specimens are traceable including a search in the notable William Anton Collection from private conversation with this collector. Although the reverse die is identical there is no 1771 date as it appears also in suffering the same fate as the Bank of Canada specimen with the off-center nature of the example and just plain circulation wear making the specimen dateless. What is interesting of the Wood 38-b (AK-48) specimen is the same blundered obverse legend as in Wood 38-a being "GEOIGN" which tempts this write to possibly indicate that the makers of Wood 38-a and Wood 38-b are the same person.

Due to the 1771 date and no die links to any other Blacksmith variety particularly numbered under Wood 32 it seems logical to discount Wood 38, Wood 38-a & Wood 38-b as British counterfeits. Pictures are included for the three varieties illustrating all three varieties.






Canadian Blacksmith Wood 38 -- A British Import Probably Dated 1771


Synopsis of Wood 34-46

As warren Baker indicates Wood 1-32 are considered strictly Canadian which this writer firmly agrees if nothing else on the ease in which these specimens have been procured by our neighbors over the last century -- but what of the higher Wood numbers with many varieties not die linked to each other and some having British attributes (i.e., such as very early dates prior to the 1825-1840 period) more so than Canadian. Let's take a look:
Wood 34: Canadian numismatists consider this variety an imitation of Charlton BL-37 (Wood 33). So if this is the case with Wood 33 being an imported Evasion Copper it should therefore follow suit that Wood 34 is also a British import. The finest known example of Wood 34 is in this writer's collection.
Wood 35: The obverse head is similar to Wood 34 and the obverse legend reads GLO. III. VIS. And this obverse like Wood 34 as Wood indicates seems to be copied also from Wood 33. This also tends to favor its British importation status.
Wood 36: The obverse head as the same general appearance as Wood 34 & Wood 35 with the infamous retrograde date reading 1471 which was doubtless intended for 1741. The William Anton Collection houses this variety as well as the Bank of Canada Money Museum. With this type of retrograde date it appears to be British than Canadian.
Wood 37: No comment on its origin. In incomplete head of GEORGE III with no inscription and an incomplete Britannia on the reverse makes its origin British or Canadian in my opinion. The McLachlan -- Bank of Canada Museum piece is the only one known to me at this time.
Wood 38: British import as discussed in this paper with the 177X date present on the reverse.
Wood 39: Probably more Canadian than a British import. No real indicators to me on either direction. A fascinating contemporary counterfeit primarily due to its obverse type design. A head facing left with a protruding tongue and a small cross behind the head. The Heal -- Bank of Canada specimen the only specimen known to me.
Wood 40: As with Wood 37 no real comments either way on its origin. We have a large head facing right with a broad truncation with the back of the head unfinished! Have we ever seen a confirmed British import with an unfinished head design? Were do we go such a specimen. Unfinished legends such as the 2008 Americana Ringo pieces in lots 5999 & 6000 are one thing -- this is something different.
Wood 41: Probably a British import in the sense that we have a poorly defined faceless laureate bust facing left. Two marks to me above the head DO NOT suggest a worn inscription but simply the GEORGE II signature. When we study the Americana Ringo collection we slightly more advanced pieces coming from Warren Baker. Do we have the situation that the most crude pieces this collector could find was simply given to the Bank of Canada Money Museum over the years and tagged with new Wood Blacksmith numbers or that long time pedigrees such as from the McLahlan Collection wound up with a similar fate -- Perhaps? More than likely?
Wood 42: British import.
Wood 43: As with Wood 37 no real comments either way on its origin. Crudely cut head facing right in a border of large dots with the reverse blank. Two variations exist as BL-21A & BL-21B. The BL-21 B being the 1987 Baker Sale specimen.
Wood 44: As with Wood 37 no real comments either way on its origin. A crude dog like head on both sides. In terms of crudeness it's OFF THE CHARTS.
Wood 45: Canadian in my opinion. On the obverse a Bust facing right with the reverse: a legend appearing TO FACILITATE TRADE which mimics the Upper Canada 1833 halfpenny tokens of this period which also have this legend in this exact circular same size lettering style.
Wood 46: Canadian in origin. On the obverse part of head is facing right and on the reverse a safe is on the back of a tortoise with a partial legend with the design reminiscent of a U.S. Hard Times token. This is similar to the U.S. Hard Token piece with this design and is associated in my opinion for obvious reasons with the Starbuck/Peck discarded die family in this series. Never seen a specimen to examine in person but one is retained by a noted New York Collector from Long Island.



Canadian Blacksmith Wood 38 -- A British Import Probably Dated 1771


Conclusion

Warren Bakers remarked that Wood varieties 38-41, 43 & 44 are all so crude as not being possibly accepted in the United States of course needs to be reconsidered, particularly as with Wood 38 if they are indeed late 18th Century manufactured imported specimens from Britain or Ireland. We seem to be aware now that when we consider increasing crudeness for these contemporary counterfeit in terms of their probable manufacturing location we had been on a thought process of going from Great Britain (slightly crude) to America (moderately crude) and finally to Lower Canada (highly crude specimens).
Furthermore, Wood 34-45 need to be re-examined as to their Canadian status based on my initial comments in this paper. The status of my Americana 2008 Baker-Ringo: 6014 specimen remains uncertain at this time in terms of its next owner now that this paper is heading towards publication.