It pays to ask....
My numismatic focus is on any medal, token, and coin with a relationship to Hawaii (Kingdom, Territory, or State). This relationship may be in a form of its landscape, its cultures, its people, its industry, its historical events, its language, its customs, its celebrities, etc. This is a "rich" area of numismatics as I have found several undocumented issues, errors, and varieties.
On one occasion, I contacted the original manufacturer of the Maui Coin Club medals (issued between 1973 through 1981). The club became inactive in 1981. The reasoning in contacting the original manufacturer was to obtain permission to use their images of the Maui Coin Club medals posted at their business website.
They provided permission. I jokingly ask if they have any Maui Coin Club medals that they could sell (each issue had a limited run). I shockingly received an email from the company's president indicating they had "working samples" of the medals in their archived collection and to provide an offer to purchase.
These "working samples" were produced at the same time as the original issue run. A "working sample' was taken during the official run for inspection (quality of strike, medal flow, design quality, etc...). This working sample was placed in their archived collection as an example for potential future customers.
The company's president indicated that these archived medals would more appreciated by a collector than sitting in the company's archive. I provided him an offer for all his Maui Coin Club medals. He accepted the offer.
Two things I insisted for the transaction to take place: 1) Do not clean or polish the medals. 2) Provide a letter of provenance to establish its pedigree. (a letter with signature by a company official indicating I am the original purchaser of the samples, include a complete inventory of the purchased medals, and their status as working samples).
Below is one example of a "working sample" set of Maui Coin Club medals in my collection. Catalog numbers are from Medcalf & Russell book, Hawaiian Money Standard catalog 2nd edition.
Issued mintage for the 2M-316 is 100 (as a silver and bronze pair).
Issued mintage for the 2M-317 is 26 (cupro nickel).
Any update to the Medcalf & Russell book should mentioned the working samples of the Maui Coin Club medals.
These are rather unique medals and definitely one of a kind Hawaiiana collectables (even more valuable with the letter of provenance).
*** Moved by Staff to a more appropriate forum. ***
Posted 11/03/2015 09:32 am
