I'm always amazed with these CWT's, especially the truly rare ones like this one! Most don't sell for as much as this 1863 good for a scent Dog Token! How high will it go, anyone care to guess? It's now bidded up to $660 and change, that's amazing, wish I had one! Care to guess the final hammer price?? Will it hit $1,000?
First one I've ever seen. Love dogs and would like to have this token but that price is out of my league.
I hear you, definitely out of my league as well. This is the best I could do on a dog Token as they can get really pricey. Nice cannery Token from 1884, not a CWT, but that's okay I'll live!
I'm very impressed with the ad you posted above @Garlicus! Yes, in case anyone hasn't noticed, many die sinker Tokens are bringing in the big bucks and this Joseph Merriam guy from Boston back in the mid-1800's is certainly one of the heavy hitters. Last month or so, I was bidding on an L. Kranz Token. Kranz is another heavy hitter, so if you can pick up an old die sinker Token from the 1800's you may want to give it some thought! As you can see in the bottom link, the price on the Dog Token hasn't budged yet, but it will! https://www.ebay.com/itm/174769907960 https://www.ebay.com/itm/373609070006?hash=item56fcd5fdb6:g:yvYAAOSw0~lgwP1-
The price will be closer to $2,000 or more in my opinion. There are three varieties of the "Merriam & Company" Civil War token. That one is quite scarce and hard to find in undamaged condition. That one seems to be a no problem piece in EF-AU. All if Merriam pieces with the "Good for a Scent" generic die have gotten to be wicked expensive. I think that this might be the most common one. This is the most popular one. Prices on this one are $3,000 and up.
Yeah, that one with the lizard reverse is too cool! Must be ultra rare as I've never ever seen that lizard one before! ~Cheers!
The total known used to be around 15. Now it might be 20 or so. There are now pieces that have gotten Mint State grade. That grade was not known years ago, like when I bought the piece I posted above. I was sort of a ghoul on that one. I knew the collector when he died and found out from the family where they consigned his collection so I could bid on it.
I had an example of the OP token that ended up in a Mint State holder. I sold it to someone who really wanted it for a couple thousand. He didn’t let me forget it. It’s the best example I have seen of the variety. When I moved from New England, I sold some of those pieces, but I still like the salamander token.
Yeah, that's a bit ghoulish but smart as well! If I wanted it and had the opportunity to do the same, I'd do it as well! Sometimes you gotta think outside of the box or lose the chance!
The family did want to liquidate his collection. I was the high bidder on that piece and one other. So they got the cash. BTW, the collection was auctioned by one of the top firms in the field at the time, not a small time local operation. This collector had been selling pieces before his death, and I, and others, were buying then as well.
I wanted to contact the family of a good friend. He was actually a well known member here. We even talked once about what would happen with our collections if we passed. I never found a way to contact the family and still wonder what happened with his collection. I actually felt guilty for not being able to help them.
That's the thing, nobody wants their loved ones to be stressed out selling off their collections, so personally I wouldn't have any qualms about contacting family members after death of their loved ones. I mean some time will have to pass and you certainly have to use finesse in your approach as it's a difficult time for all. I mean you don't want to look like an uncaring vulture, just sayin'!
