Kentucky/Starry Pyramid Token (1792-1796)

Howdy fellow coin peeps, :thumb:

I managed to acquire an exceptional addition to my Colonial Collection and am tickled to get to share it with all of you.

It's a AU/MS Kentucky Token, which is also known as a Starry Pyramid Token (circa 1792-1796) and is nicely detailed on the Notre Dame website:

http://www.coins.nd.edu/ColCoin/ColCoinIntros/KYToken.intro.html

And CoinFacts has a little write-up on them:

http://coinfacts.com/colonial_coins/kentucky_tokens/KentuckyToken.htm

I sent a link to the auction, to a friend who knows these quite well and he believes this is the smaller planchet version with notched serifs on the "H" in THE and with incomplete denticles because of it being the smaller planchet version. Also, Breen lists the smaller planchet version as "1155 n.d. Halfpenny. Plain edge. Tower standard. Weight 9.77-10.04 grams." This one is 9.9 grams and falls right in the middle of the weight range.

This little sucker set me back a nice bit but I still got it well below book and I won't have to upgrade later on, since it's in such great condition. This has now become my pride and joy in my collection. :thumb:

Ribbit

Ps: In case anyone wants to know what this is worth (ballpark figure) here's one that sold at auction a couple of years ago, but slightly lower in grade:

http://www.coinarchives.com/w/lotviewer.php?LotID=345684&AucID=256&Lot=1232

I'll post better pics once it arrives.

 

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:thumb:Thanks for sharing!!

 

Toad:
Great coin!

 

Nice coin, considerably better than mine. What edge inscription does yours have?

For a Conder token these things are rather common, but since they are listed in the Redbook they bring a lot more money than a comparitable rarity token that isn't in the redbook brings.

 

Wow, very nice.

 

That was in the write-up but it is a plain edge 1155 n.d. variety.

I agree with the price thingy but it isn't the Redbook that makes this so desirable, it's the fact that it is associated with the US, whereas, most Condor's are mostly UK related. The more peeps that want something, makes for a larger market and hence, higher prices (aka: supply & demand).

I personally love the Condor Tokens and already have quite a few and am always looking for a great deal on others, which, the seller of this one had many more but almost all of them were in AU/MS condition and ones that are rarely seen on Ebay and many had planchet errors, so they went higher than I was willing to spend on a non-US related Condor but I would have loved to have acquired all of them for my little Condor Collection. :thumb:

Ribbit

Ps: This past weekend I also picked-up a 1795 York Minster & Clifford's Tower York Halfpenny with an edge inscription "YORK BUILT A.M. 1223 CATHEDRAL REBUILT A.D. 1075" in almost uncirculated condition. It is absolutely gorgeous, which is the main reason why I love the Condors - awesome designs! :thumb: I'd rather collect them than any of the newer "blah" coins.

 

The truth is that these tokens weren't made for KY....I've read many things that point to these being made with I believe it was something in Brittain in mind....I'll see if I can't find it.

Speedy

 

The website I listed (Notre Dame) discusses it:

"Breen suggests the Kentucky tokens were popular and circulated throughout the American states, but gives no evidence for this statement. Bowers suspects the coins were primarily made for British collectors as part of the popular British token series we now call the "Conder" series, after James Conder who first classified these tokens in 1798."

However, that still has nothing to do with what I said:

"the fact that it is associated with the US, whereas, most Condor's are mostly UK related"

What does Birmingham to do with the US?
What does Leeks have to do with the US?
What does Dublin have to do with the US?
What does Sheffield have to do with the US?
What does Liverpool have to do with the US?
What does Bungay have to do with the US?
What does Edinburgh have to do with the US?
What does Manchester have to do with the US?
What does Norwich have to do with the US?


But then, what does Kentucky, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, North Carolina, New York, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, & Connecticutt have to do with the UK?

Maybe that will help you to understand what "association" means?

Ribbit

Ps: There are several other Condors/UK minted tokens that are associated with the US and they also fetch high prices:

George Washington Tokens.
IOHN HOWARD muled with Liberty & Commerce from Talbot's New York Token.
Franklin Press Token
Etc....

 

Toad:
I have to drag out some of mine, if you are interested in them...........

[no offers to buy or sell on this forum. Yeah, I know.]

 

You can always post them for discussion and mention you are thinking of a spring cleaning sale and they might be included? So, post away! I'd love to see them and who knows, I or others may PM you with offers to take them off your hands. :thumb:

Ribbit

Ps: Are "offer" PM's against the rules, of something someone has posted for discussion? And wouldn't an offer to buy, also be considered discussion?

 

Would you say it would have been more appropriate for Treas to have PM'd me with what he said and us to have discussed this privately? Or, was it otay with what he said in this post and then for us to take it privately from that point on?

Anotherwords, do the rules allow for a little flexibility?

Ribbit

Ps: What does BST stand for?

 

Hey Toad -

I have one question.

Do you have an unlimited coin budget?

Catbert

PS: Oh, in reference to your coin - as that lucious Jessica Simpson said in a HDTV advertisement: "I'm not quite sure I know whut that is, but I know that I want one"

 

I already told Toad it was a nice coin! But I did not see where it was mentioned that they are called Kentucky Tokens only because of the K at the top of the pyramid.

 

I am only limited by what I have. My bills are very low and I make decent money, so I can put most of my pay into coins, plus, I look for poorly listed coins that don't sell anywhere near what they are worth and buy them to resell later, with a proper listing, to make a little money. I'm going to list quite a few starting tomorrow, cause everything I bought this last week pretty much wiped me out and now I've got a high priority coin that just showed up and I ain't letting it get by me, so I'm going to need a little influx of money to make sure I can cover the price tag (valued @ $400 to $800) plus everything else I've got my sights on. I'm hoping to get it for around $200 but they go high on Ebay so I'm expecting it to top out somewhere around $300. The Kentucky Token ran me $350 but that's well below what it's worth, but I would have loved to have gotten it for around $200 also.

In the last two weeks I've been outbid on two important tokens I wanted, a 1795 Talbot, Allum, & Lee & a 1794 Franklin Press, both mint or near mint state and a few Draped Bust Large Cents I wanted went higher than normal, so I didn't get them either. It seems that lately, prices have gone up drastically on Ebay.

Ribbit

 

Read the first paragraph of this:

http://www.coins.nd.edu/ColCoin/ColCoinIntros/KYToken.intro.html

Ribbit

 

You mean you actually expected me to follow the link. Come on - it was the only piece of information I knew when you first emailed me the link to the auction. I am still distracted by that IHC I won. Still looking at the close-ups you sent. :mouth:

 

Post the darn thing with those pics. It's what you think it is and you don't need to wait till it arrives to share it. I didn't know anything about "Snow's" until that coin and I am betting many other members don't either, so it will be educational for them as it was for me. :thumb:

Ribbit

Ps: I know what you mean about not being able to stop looking at a pic of an incoming coin. You want the coin in your hands so you can truly enjoy it and it's bugging you that you know it's coming, but the pics keep pulling back to them for a closer scrutiny each time. :kewl: I also do that with up coming auctions too.

Pps: Louis also caught the fact the seller used his write-up in the auction.

 

Toad! We can share some of our cheap bargains I too look for cheap priced coins/banknotes last month i bough a Aussie proof swan crown (unofficial pattern) from the US ebay for $450 without having any knowledge of these types i went to the nearest coin dealer and i told him that i have 1 in its original case and he said there was only 750 minted and they are very much wanted in the aussie market...so i asked him how much he can offer me for the coin and he said if its in its original case he would give me 1,1k for it so i bidded for it and won it and went to his shop and sold to him and he had it priced at 2k when my mum past by his shop the next day. the coin has doubled its price in the past 4 years but i needed the cash so i had to get rid of it