Sommer Island Coin? I found this coin in my late grandpas coin collection. It looks very old, but I am thinking it might be the 1890 replica. Can anyone tell me if its original or if its a copy how much it is worth? Thanks! http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h5...e/IMG_0068.jpg http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h5...IMG_0065-1.jpg
This was posted a little later in the day, it takes a while for a question to get answered because usually people are getting info for your coin. Sorry but i have no clue what it is but more than likely later in the day it will be resolved.
Hi - I am not experienced with this coin but did you read this description on how to tell those copies from the original? What is the size and weight of your coin? It does look to have stars and not stops, also a stronger "S" in Island than is described (and pictured in the Redbook example). Does yours have cannon instead of portholes on the reverse? The pellet between the pig's legs? http://www.coins.nd.edu/ColCoin/ColCoinText/SommerIsland.html Undated Shilling - Dickeson copy Obverse: SOMMER [star] ISLANDS [star] / XII Reverse: [no text] Weight: 244.2 g (15.82 grams) Diameter: 32.2 mm Reverse die alignment: 350° Comments: This is a copper proof copy of the Sommer Islands shilling produced by Montroville Wilson Dickeson of Philadelphia in the 1850's. Examples were produced in copper, brass, nickel and white metal. The images on the obverse and reverse are quite similar to the originals but do not exactly match every detail. This copy is listed in Kenney on p. 12 under Dickeson, no. 1. The original coins were made of a brassy copper and finished with a thin silver wash. The obverse legend of the originals has stops in place of stars and the first S in ISLANDS is very weak. It is thought the letter was cut backwards and then recut correctly producing a weak strike. Also, originals have a pellet at ground level between the pig's front and back legs. The reverse of the Dickeson copy imitates the "small sail" shilling variety. On originals the ship displays a series of portholes, which Dickeson replaced with canon, one of which has just been fired. Also, in addition to several small changes in the ship's rigging, in originals the pellets below the ship do not appear on extant examples of the small sail shilling; however there are pellets on the large sail shilling, but they appear to be in different groupings than on the copy (originals, which are poorly preserved seem to have a triangle of three pellets followed by a row of three with one beneath and a final row of three or four pellets).
