A Continuing Thread ~ Post Your Tokens, Medals, Exonumia Acquisitions

1975 Paul Revere's Midnight Ride .999 silver
Longines Symphonette
Whittnauer Mint



These Longines Symphonette Wittnauer Mint medals come in a variety of compositions and in various subsets. This is from the 60 medal series Great American Triumphs. This is also .999 silver rather than another found more commonly in .925 sterling silver.

You can tell the series by the artwork on the reverse, this having an eagle and shield under the text.
I have other Paul Revere theme medals from different mints.

These are all nice medals shown below. First is a National Commemorative Society Franklin Mint medal, the second is a scarce medal sculpted and designed by Felix Schlag and the third is one of my 5 smaller Paul Revere medals that has the initials BT and as far as we have learned is perhaps a small mintage of 100?
I have 5 of these and have not seen any of these before or after I purchased them from the same source in three different purchases. Schlag's would still be my favorite.

Excellent work conserving that SCD, TNG!!

Here is my latest add.

This silver shilling token was struck in London by "Henry Morgan", a prolific die-cutter and manufacturer of tokens for businesses and merchants to use. Dalton provides several original advertisements such as this one dated 12 October 1811:




This particular token was an advertisement itself; the so-called "Morgan's Shilling" turns up as an issue for quite a few other places (including Wales) with a city arms design or a local merchant's information. Morgan's firm advertised that they would strike tokens in any design for pretty much anyone, and apparently, this offer was well-received.

The only problem with all of this is that "Henry Morgan" may, or may not, have actually existed. He may have been a real person, but may have also been a collective fake name used by two or more scammers operating out of the area, or even an identity created by other (real and respected) token makers as a front to issue counterfeit tokens.

Numismatic author Andrew Wager published a book on this precise issue in June 2008 and documents his research and detective work quite thoroughly. I won't spoil the book here.

When these early issues were struck (1811) the weight and assay supported the denomination; however, drama was soon to follow. Prominent local merchants and tradesmen, including other die-makers, accused Morgan's firm of manufacturing and issuing large numbers of counterfeits of other firms' (legitimate) tokens. Underweight, debased, and altered tokens were becoming more and more prevalent, shaking the public's confidence in the entire token system, and "H. M." seems to have been the source. In some cases, the more egregious counterfeits even featured entirely fictitious (but plausible) entities and businesses, with nonexistent addresses, making "redemption" impossible. Not that he was the only one -- a number of enterprising crooks caught on quickly to the profitable idea of melting down regal copper and silver coinage and striking debased or underweight tokens.

Dalton notes that the outcry resulted in public censure and a strident warning to Mr. "Morgan" that the deception was known, and that if the manufacture of these debased tokens continued, the names of the individuals behind the crooked tokens would be made public -- no idle threat, with penalties ranging from penal transportation to death by hanging if convicted. Not surprisingly, perhaps, into 1813 Mr. "Morgan" and his firm apparently decided to get out of the token business.

The public furor created by this debacle -- as well as similar issues with counterfeit copper merchant tokens and the mass melting of older regal and Soho copper coinage to strike new private tokens -- was one of the factors that would lead to the resumption of regal coinage in 1816 (for silver issues) and 1821 (for copper issues.)




References:

Dalton, R. "The silver token-coinage mainly issued between 1811 and 1812"

Wager, A. "The Mystery of Henry Morgan: A Numismatic Detective Story"

Two awesome additions there, Love the BIG HONKIN' eagle medal and the story about Henry Morgan.
I know that Sir Henry Morgan was a pirate, maybe that was why he used the name?




Thanks for the approval on the 1933 Indian Dollar paralyse.

I decided to stop at that point of conservation, as sometimes we go a bit too far and ruin things. A little trapped crud has been arrested and makes for a more authentic look. Good enough.

Very nice adds everyone. TNG great job on the conservation.

These are very wise words.

Fascinating. I have never heard of this before.

TNG, in reading more about the Bickford dollars, I stumbled upon the Eutopia dollars which preceeded them. Those appear to be extremely rare and very interesting as well.

Wonderful and fascinating post TNG.

Please do elaborate on said Bickford dollars, and Eutopia dollars; in the correct forum of course. Let me know as I would be obliged to broaden my limited knowledge.