1890 Seated Liberty Dime - Anthony Roy (Ray?) - Denver, Colo. Special thanks to @lordmarcovan for giving me a nudge to go back and snag this.
"Quotte" Special thanks to @lordmarcovan for giving me a nudge to go back and snag this. [/QUOTE] I'd really like to have that one!
As I mentioned via PM: That's a great love token for a measly fifteen bucks, which, as I mentioned, is about what you'd pay for a run-of-the-mill monogrammed or initialed piece. Having a full name is better than average. Throw in the name of a city or town like that, and that's even better. You need to now do some research and track down Anthony Roy. Nail him down, and suddenly your $15 love token (which I say is worth $25-30 already, as-is) could arguably become a $75-100 piece. And if you pin down some really colorful stuff, as I was lucky enough to do with some of my pieces, then you've got a piece that could be worth even more than that. (Hopefully there was only one Anthony Roy in Denver in the 1890s, and you'll find out he was an infamous gunslinger... or a famous lawman... or a champion bare-knuckle boxer... whatever! You just never know until you do some sleuthing.) The research on your "Anthony Roy" piece might or might not pan out, but you're already off to a great start. That's a great love token even if Anthony Roy's history remains elusive. These are some pieces I was lucky enough to track down some interesting history on, and in two cases, photographs of the long-dead owners. In several cases, I only discovered this information after I'd already bought the coins, so the research really paid off and made them worth even more. (I like to come up with colorful names for each piece, too. It's fun.) Relic of a Short Life" "The Quarrelsome Dr. Prince" "Died on the Train" "Pill-Poppin' Sam" "Bertha's Boy" And if you pursue more love tokens, I'd love to discuss 'em with you and cheer you on. It's a great little specialty, off the beaten track, full of fun history, and at this point in time, still quite underappreciated and budget-friendly. You could even pursue a dime date set, like I did in my first love token adventure. (I will add that I did quite well when I broke up and sold that first collection.) Or a type set. In fact, I still have a few leftover pieces for sale or trade...
PS- I am a member of the Love Token Society. It's the only specialized numismatic organization that I, an eclectic "jack of all trades" collector, have ever chosen to join. They've got some good information on their website. Annual membership dues are $15 if you opt to get the "Love Letter" newsletter electronically, or $20 for the printed mailing. Their Secretary/Treasurer is Sidney Gale (sidgale@cox.net).
Awesome. Character for miles! My first thought was how passionate some of those old bike collector guys are... should you ever want to sell I think you'd have no problem. For now, awesome piece!
I'm a sucker for love tokens. That is a nice one, I've never had one with a location on it before. Here's a couple quick photos.
There was an Anthony Roy that lived in Denver in 1891. He was a stone cutter. Whether this is the same man is anybody's guess.
Thanks! I found an Antoine Roy and his son Howard Anthony Roy born in 1889 and they lived just outside of Denver in Jefferson. Saw pictures of them too but of course no way to verify.
From lovetokensociety.com : "Engravings were executed on practically all denominations of coins, but the Liberty Seated dime was the most popular denomination. There is some speculation as to the reasons. These silver coins were softer, thus easier to engrave than nickel and were a more precious gift than a nickel or the lowly copper cent. The United States also produced a half dime made from silver and some engraved on these, but it was a rather small size and perhaps challenging for the engraver to fit a pleasing design so small. The quarter too was popular but two and a half times as costly made it an alternative to those with a bigger purse. Remember, money was worth a lot more in those days."
