Counterstamp, J.H. Loveless

Hey guys!

While going through raw stuff for the coin show this weekend (In Ontario, CA -- maybe I'll see some of you there!) I came across this interesting counterstamped coin. A quick google-ing didn't tell me anything, so I thought I would turn to you, CoinTalk!

I'm not expecting it to have a premium, it's just an interesting counterstamp and the name J.H. Loveless sounds SO FAMILIAR it's making me crazy. Anyone know anything about this?



Obverse reads "J.H. Loveless Allegan Mich." Obverse reads "L.S. & M(?).S. RY." I'm not 100% sure that's an 'M' in the middle. Muddy even under magnification.

Let me know if anyone knows the story behind this! Thanks!

 

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Try searching Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway

 

The initials are for the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway like bdunnse says Amanda. Although it's roots go back to 1833 when it was called the Erie & Kalamazoo Railway, it didn't become the LS & MS Ry until the merger of three railroads in April, 1869; The Michigan Southern, Northern Indiana, and the Lakeshore. It lasted until 1914 when it was merged into other railroads.

I don't know who Loveless is, but he may have been an agent for the railroad in Allegan. I've seen other counterstamps where both the railroad's name and an agent or officer of the line appears on the same coin. Since the coin is holed, it was probably worn by Mr. Loveless possibly as company ID, or simply as a personal piece. If you can confirm that there was a station in Allegan then Loveless probably was the company's agent there.

You have a nice counterstamp there Amanda, and yes, it would command a premium. If Loveless could be identified it would add additional value to it. The fact that the stamps are on a nice old silver Half Dollar doesn't hurt its value either. Although there aren't any Red Book or price guides for counterstamps I would guess its value somewhere at between $50 and $100...maybe even a little more. Finding out who Loveless is is the key. I'll do a little looking around to see if I come up with anything for you. Thanks for posting it.

Bruce

 

Thank you so much for the information! When I get a spare moment I'll try to find Loveless' name somewhere in conjunction with the Railroad. What an interesting idea -- even the possibility that he wore it as an "ID Badge" or just a token of his position is fascinating!

 

"THE KALAMAZOO ALLEGAN AND GRAND RAPIDS RAILROAD COMPANY
Formed on June 3, 1868, by consolidation of the Kalamazoo and Allegan Railroad Company and the Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids Railroad Company. Leased on September 21, 1869, to The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway Company for the term of 999 years. The Kalamazoo and Allegan Railroad Company was incorporated June 18, 1867. The Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids Railroad Company was incorporated January 3, 1868."

And I have found an "abandoned railways" section that references an old route from Dundee to Allegan, MI. So yes, there was a station there!

Now to hunt down Mr. Loveless...!

 

This is pretty neat to me. Good luck in your search, Amanda, but I would not be surprised if Mr. Loveless is lost to the ages...

If this were a more recent piece, it would be easy to track him down as all railroaders are registered with the Railroad Retirement Board, but this piece is from another era. Many of these smaller railroads were gobbled up and chopped up and there's simply no history or records left. I hope I'm wrong, but I wouldn't get discouraged if nothing turns up.

If I had to guess, I would say this was used as a luggage tag for a grip or overnight bag to identify it for Mr. Loveless. Awesome find, none the less!

 

I love the story behind pieces like this -- I would love to be able to find him down. I did find some records for a J.H. Loveless in Allegan, MI on ancestry.com, but I don't have an account. My aunt's our family historian and she has an accout; she's going to poke around for me a bit tonight, but I would bet you're right, jester. The odds of anything concrete coming up are slim to none. But it definitely made my day of slugging through boxes and boxes of raw more interesting!

 

Don't forget to try ancestry com for Loveless. Might find something there, especially in the old census records.

 

I think we were typing at the same time! I don't have any account, but my aunt's going to check it out for me tonight.

 

Sorry , I couldn't find anything on Loveless in Rulaus Guide .

 

Here's where he may have worked!



http://www.michiganrailroads.com/RRHX/Stations/CountyStations/AlleganStations/AlleganMI.htm

 

That is too cool, bdunnse!! I really hope to be able to find something about the man himself, too!

 

As a guess, John H Loveless. Wife's name was Hannah. Born around 1836, served during the Civil War, etc.

http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/...=7-|0|1652393|0|2|3247|25|0|141|0|0|&uidh=000

 

It is tough sometimes to track down people from so long ago, but I wouldn't be surprised if you found the identity of Mr. Loveless Amanda. Research takes persistence but it often pays off. I have a few projects in my file cabinet that I've been working on for nearly ten years. I have some clues as to who they were but not enough to say " I gotcha". I always stay positive and never give up. It sounds like you have a streak of stubbornness in you too. Best of luck to you.

Bruce
p.s. I still say he was a railroad agent.

 

I've still been looking for the identity of J.H.Loveless Amanda but still haven't found him. I also asked Greg Brunk (the guru of U.S. and world counterstamps) if he had anything on this particular stamp and he didn't. I gave him all the information I have so he can add it to the rough draft of his new book. At least it will be listed now and be available to other researchers to investigate. If anybody has come up with a solid ID please post it here. In the meantime, I'll keep looking.
BTW, a great FUN report Amanda. Sounds like you had a great time.

Bruce

 

Wow, good morning and thank you! I've continued to look in my spare time, too -- this particular counterstamp just fascinates me! Thank you so much for continuing the search -- I didn't know you were still on the look-out for Mr. Loveless, or asking around about him! I'm glad to hear it sparked your interest as much as it has mine!!

And thank you again! I had lots of fun at my first FUN.

 

Thanks Amanda. Like I said before I don't give up on these things because I enjoy the challenge. Loveless is out there someplace...just have to find him.

About three weeks ago I ran into a history of sorts about the Railroad. I believe it was printed in the late 19th century but I don't remember offhand. In the back of the book it listed names of at least several hundred former and present...of that period...employees of the line. It included a short biography of each person including their period of service, position in the company, and other personal data. I thought I was going to have a "I gotcha" moment but to my great disappointment Loveless wasn't listed. I still think he had a connection to the railroad. I can't think of any other reason why its initials would be part of his counterstamp.

In any case, my next move is to email the local historical societies, both Allegan itself and Allegan County. They don't seem to have a lot to offer like some societies do, but it's worth a try. I'll keep in touch.

Bruce

 

I had a couple 1825 Bust quarters that had the "L" counterstamp, one of the truly mysterious types, one grading service gives them numerical grades the other considers them damaged. One had environmental damage the other straight graded XF40. Many theories circulated as to what the "L" and "E" counterstamp signified. I hear Mr. Bowers is quite a collector of some of these coins.

 

Wow, I'm shocked you were able to find an employee list of the railroad at all!! That in and of itself deserves huge kudos! My efforts were much less sophisticated, but I did send out several emails and have yet to receive even a single response to the handful of organizations I thought may be able to point me in the right direction...

 

With the hole it in, it was probably worn as a keepsake, or token. I don't think we explored the possibility that it was given to a woman to wear as a necklace, or keepsake--we've been kind of assuming it was a male railroad employee. I would consider the possibility of being like a civilian "dog tag," and may have been worn by the spouse of a railroad employee. The size of the hole indicates a substantial chain going through it, or a ribbon.