Great stuff guys! You know I love these things. Here's my latest. This is the jeweler's mark of Charles W. Wendell who setup his business in Chicago in about 1856. He was at 87 Lake St., later moving to 170 State. Before coming to Chicago he was in a partnership with his brother Jules in Oswego, NY.(Wendel & Brother) The two different spellings of his surname aren't a mistake, they used both. His coins were likely stamped between 1856 and 1859. He took in a partner named Sigmund Hyman in 1859 and changed the name of the company to Wendell & Hyman. Earlier, while in Oswego, he and his brother Jules had also stamped coins. Bruce
My only counterstamp. Bought it at a local shop for $25. According to BRandM, Forsberg was a maker of medical devices.
1857 Flying Eagle: "META BIERMANN" {Note: If anyone has a copy of Bruck, any info on any of these would be appreciated}
Your Boyd stamp is a nice one Frank and is listed in Brunk. There are about 30 examples known, most on Quarters or Half Dollars. This one isn't positively identified yet, but there are two strong contenders. The first is William H. Boyd, a New York City publisher during the second half of the 19th century. The style of lettering used in his advertisements exactly matches the style on these counterstamps. This doesn't prove ownership but does make him a strong contender. The second possibility is Francis Everett Boyd. He was a partner in and treasurer of the Boston based Boyd Breech-Loading Arms Co. They were in business about the same time as William H. Boyd. The one known example of his counterstamp on an 1864 2-Cent piece reads "F.E. Boyd / Pat. / 99,528 / Feb 8 1870" I would bet on the gun maker but that's just an educated guess. I'm working on some of the other ones Frank. Bruce
This is a contemporary counterstamp I picked up at the last Baltimore show from Paul Cunningham. It's one of many issued by coin clubs, dealers, or collectors that I always look for on auctions or at shows. This is a high quality stamp celebrating the Metropolitan Coin Club of Atlanta's 30th anniversary in 1994. I've contacted the club twice via email for info on this issue and another but, unfortunately, they don't respond. Bruce