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 Replies: 18 / Views: 3,114 |
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CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives
 United States
12251 Posts |
I previously posted about my "TENN" (Tennessee) counterstamped (C/S) Stone Mountain half dollar ( Stone Mountain "TENN" Counterstamp; that post includes a discussion of why the Stone Mountain coins were counterstamped. Following my acquisition of that piece, I turned my attention to locating a North Carolina counterstamped Stone Mountain coin. It wasn't an intense search, but I did keep my eyes open. Over the years, I encountered a couple of examples that were unattractive as the result of either very uneven toning, very dark toning or some type of environmental damage. I passed on them and their very high asking prices in the hope of finding one more to my liking. A few years back, at the annual South Carolina Numismatic Association Convention, I came across one that appealed to me. It was obvious that it had been dipped in its past. but its bright, lustrous surfaces were generally clean and its two counterstamps - "N.CAR." and "287" - were each easily readable. Back in the 1980s, two articles about the Stone Mountain half dollar counterstamps appeared in the American Numismatic Association's The Numismatist magazine; each listed the known varieties for each state. The 1985 article by Hyder and Colbert listed nine "N.CAR." state coins and two coins with the "N.C. UDC" stamp. In 1987, Adna Wilde listed 16 "N.CAR." coins plus two "N.C. UDC" coins; the 1987 article included all of the coins on the previous Hyder/Colbert list. Adna Wilde's number 1987 list for the "N.CAR." C/S: 4, 7, 22, 26, 50, 57, 91, 152, 182, 217, 255, 291, 310, 367, 373, 374 plus "N.C. UDC" C/S: 536, 1767 In addition to Wilde's list, I've personally seen the following eight counterstamps in a PCGS holder: 138, 151, 214, 224, 234, 273, 342 and 357. PCGS indicates that it has graded 17 "N.CAR." coins, but I have only seen coins with the numbers I've listed so they are the only ones I can verify as being true additions to Wilde's list. I've also seen two additional Stone Mountain "N.CAR." C/S in NGC holders: 109, 281. So, while not rare to the point of being nearly unobtainable, with 27 verified "N.CAR." C/S coins (including mine!) and two "N.C. UDC" C/S coins, the "N.CAR." C/S coins are, at the least, very scarce (as are all of the C/S coins from the other states). By adding this C/S coin to my collection, I now have "coverage" of the original territory of North Carolina - until 1789, the area that makes up the present-day Tennessee was part of North Carolina as its western border until then was the Mississippi River! If anyone has a "N.CAR." or "N.C. UDC" C/S Stone Mountain half dollar, please share it so that we can continue to build a known census of the coin!   My posts about the 1925 Stone Mountain half dollar, and other US commemorative coins, can be found here: Read More: Commems Collection. Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved.
Edited by commems
02/16/2021 08:09 am
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
Thanks as always, excellent read.
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Valued Member
United States
487 Posts |
Very interesting, glad you found one you liked.
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Moderator
United States
187544 Posts |
Glad to see you found one.  Quote:
A few years back, at the annual South Carolina Numismatic Association Convention, I came across one that appealed to me. Was this the one we met up at or the previous one where we just missed each other? |
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CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives
 United States
12251 Posts |
Quote:
Was this the one we met up at or the previous one where we just missed each other? Unfortunately, this was the time we weren't able to sync up re: the times we were going to be at the show. Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
887 Posts |
When I saw the title of this thread, I got excited! I'm very aware of the Great Harvest Campaign, and am fortunate enough to have one, and it's a N.Car. as well! While Adna Wilde's database and information is extensive, there is a more recent compilation with a listing (including where the coin resided as of mid 2018). The Harvest Campaign census includes over 285 verified great Harvest CS Stone Mtns (increased from 140 in Adna Wilde's reference if I recall correctly). The website is http://www.stonemountainhalf.com/ and there is a ton of information about the Stones, including an almost complete grading set. Unfortunately, the owner of the site had some health issues, and hasn't been able to keep it 100% up to date, and the GHC CS census section http://www.stonemountainhalf.com/co...census.html) returns an error. I'll contact the site owner and see if he intends on fixing that any time soon. In the meantime, here's my 1925 Stone Mountain great Harvest Campaign Counterstamp N. Car. 244  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
887 Posts |
I'm sure Commems has a write up on the Great Harvest Campaign, but here is a link to mine from 2018 for those who may not be aware of the story; http://goccf.com/t/317444#2702112 |
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Moderator
United States
15384 Posts |
Pleased learn you found a nice example commems. Thanks as always for the wonderful read.
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CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives
United States
12251 Posts |
@Beefer518: Thanks for sharing your coin and for the reference to the Stone Mountain web site. I've enjoyed reading through the site over the past few years - it certainly demonstrates the degree to which those passionate about their coins can go! Lots of great information presented!
As you noted, however, the census page is unavailable at present, so I could not access it to check for other discoveries as I was writing my post. I didn't know about the web site owner's health issues, I do hope he is doing OK and will be able to update it soon.
I was able to access a cached copy of the census page this morning - I don't know why I didn't think of it while writing my original post, but your note helped trigger the thought! While reviewing the cached list, I found a few additions to the C/S numbers list I provided above. For the base "N.CAR." variety, numbers 56, 244 (Beefer518's wonderful coin), 281 and 321 have been identified. For the "N.C. UDC" variety, 214 and 853 have been reported. Also, there appears to be a discrepancy between the web site list and Wilde's 1987 list: a UDC-356 example on the web site list is attributed to Adna Wilde's 1987 list in The Numismatist, but Adna listed a UDC-536. (It seems likely someone transposed a couple of numbers on the web site, but it could be a verified correction to the original list. Additional research is needed.) So, that brings the census up to 31 for the "N.CAR." variety and four for the "UDC" variety - still scarce!
I wonder what other C/S numbers are out there waiting to be discovered?!
The book Unlocking the Mysteries of the Counterstamped Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial (published in 2019) is a massive volume about the coin (over 1,600 pages). It's a bit pricey at $175 for the hard cover version, but I still may pick up a copy as it's very likely worth the price. I can certainly appreciate the effort that went into researching and writing such a volume.
@Beefer518: Thanks again for sharing your coin and for spurring me on to dig a little deeper re: the census details!
Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved.
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Moderator
United States
187544 Posts |
Quote:
Unfortunately, this was the time we weren't able to sync up re: the times we were going to be at the show. Quote:
In the meantime, here's my 1925 Stone Mountain great Harvest Campaign Counterstamp N. Car. 244 Excellent!  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1211 Posts |
Beautiful piece commems, but I am curious... the 8 really looks like a 3 to me.
Are you confident that it's an 8 not a 3?
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CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives
United States
12251 Posts |
@Hondo: Nice to hear from you! It seems like it's been awhile. Quote:
Are you confident that it's an 8 not a 3? When I first looked at the coin, I wondered about the "3" vs. "8" question. I know my scanned image of the reverse raises questions, but, in hand, under magnification, it appears as if the digit is an "8" to me. Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved.
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CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives
United States
12251 Posts |
A few new entries for the Stone Mountain North Carolina counterstamp census (all in a PCGS Holder):
N. CAR.: 138, 234, 273, 357
NC UDC: 302
Updated "Documented Sightings" Totals:
N. CAR.: 35
NC UDC: 5
Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved.
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Valued Member
United States
98 Posts |
Quote:
A few new entries for the Stone Mountain North Carolina counterstamp census (all in a PCGS Holder):
N. CAR.: 138, 234, 273, 357
Looks like these are already on your list above. Quote:
Beautiful piece commems, but I am curious... the 8 really looks like a 3 to me.
Are you confident that it's an 8 not a 3? Definitely a 3 |
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Valued Member
United States
98 Posts |
The 3 curves differently on the bottom compared to the 8 and it is thicker as seen on my 138. Based on the image of your coin I feel it is definitely a 3.  |
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CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives
United States
12251 Posts |
Quote:
Looks like these are already on your list above.
My mistake, thanks for reading my post so carefully. Going forward, I'll have to ensure I do a better job of proofreading! It's always good to have another pair of eyes on things! Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved.
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Replies: 18 / Views: 3,114 |
Posted 02/16/2021 09:12 am
