The Mystery of the 1892 Columbian Commem Half's #1, 400, 1492, 1892

So where are they? I know Remington (typewriter company) bought coin #1 for $10,000, and it sits in a museum, but what happened to the other three?

Q. David Bowers' book; Commemorative Coins of the United States: A Complete Encyclopedia, tells about the unveiling of the coins, and how these 4 were handled differently, but he only tells us what happened to coin #1. All 4 coins were documented, so there should be well kept records of who the coins wen to in 1892, and thereafter, but I find nothing.

Anyone know where 400, 1492, and 1892 are?

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Also IIRC #1 is actually #2, the first strike was damaged during minting and discarded.

 

I found this article. It is interesting but didn't have any references, so I double checked and found a reference, via Ellsworth's (than man who ordered the proofs) personal records archives in the Chicago Public library, here:

Box 1 Folder 66 O.C. Bosbyshell January 21, 1893; autographed letter signed, 1 p.

"Bosbyshell reports he has received Ellsworth's correspondence regarding the 100 proof coins (the "special pieces" mentioned in the letter of 12/9/92) reserved for Ellsworth, and intercepted by WCE President Harlow Higinbotham. Bosbyshell states Higinbotham wrote him regarding the distribution and control of these coins, and that he referred Higinbotham on this matter to Ellsworth. Bosbyshell reports he will write a letter in support of Ellsworth to Higinbotham if necessary."

 

let see a pic of that coin.

 

An excerpt from
THE RESURRECTION OF
THE FIRST COLUMBIAN HALF DOLLAR

By WILLIAM A. PETTIT
C.S.N.S. #1782

The Centinel; July 1968, Volume 15 Number 4

tldr; Chicago Historical Society as of 1968

 

Thanks @mynamespat, so it seems they've been sitting in a vault at the Chicago Historical Society. How anti-climactic! At least they're not lost.

 

Until I found that article I was fearing they had been intermingled with the other 100 proofs. It sounds like, at one time, every one of the 100 proofs was in an individually numbered envelope. It's a shame it appears most of those numbered envelopes have been discarded and replaced with TPGS plastic.

 

From what I understand from other reading the location of the actual #1 coin is known as well and it is in the holder marked #2.

 

The #1 coin (actually the 2nd coin, since the first coin was immediately destroyed due to an imperfection) is encased in glass and metal with the original canceled check from Remington purchase at the Field Museum in Chicago.

-https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/periodical/511876

The Second (third actually) coin struck is also discernible because of a planchet flaw which prevented the planchet from being the "first" coin struck.

-https://www.coinworld.com/news/us-coins/2014/10/proof-1892-columbian-half-dollar-fails-to-win-10000.all.html

 

Any images of the 2/3 coin? I'd love to see the flaw.

 

The flawed #1 coin was NOT destroyed, it is the flawed coin that is in the #2 holder

 

The second image in the above post is reported by Coinweek to be the 2/3 coin (It sold for $40k in 2002). If I recall correctly from previous research, the flaw is only visible in the highest points... but I don't have time to source that right now.

Also from that same Coinweek article (which is taken from a New York Times article):

“No power was applied to the machine for the first test. Instead, Foreman Albert Downing placed one of the planchets in the receiver and grasped the lever which raises the lower die while Edwin Cliff, his assistant, stood at the balance wheel. Then came the critical moment. …

“Unfortunately the first attempt was a failure. … To an ordinary observer it might have appeared perfect, but the coiner and designer examined it under a glass. One glance was enough.

“A fatal flaw was revealed, and the verdict which consigned the prospective ten-thousand dollar beauty to the scrap box was pronounced. A hammer was at hand, and what might have been the most famous coin in history was battered into comparatively worthless metal."

https://www.coinworld.com/news/us-c...mbian-half-dollar-fails-to-win-10000.all.html

 

I believe in the latter case the article is wrong. Bosbyshell had wanted the first coin for himself but learned it had been promised to the Remington typewriter people. He selected the original flawed planchet for that first strike and rather than give then a flawed coin they received the second, perfect one. Bosbyshell then put the #1 coin in the #2 envelope. This Coin World article is the only one I've ever seen that claimed the first defective coin was beaten up with a hammer.

 

The first coin's destruction was reported the same in both the New York Times (the Coinweek article's reference) and in Chicago Tribune, Nov 20, 1892; pg 4 column 1 (William Pettit's reference in the archived Centinel article).