Hey gang! I bought this guy today. It's a neat counterstamp but I WISH it wasn't on a huge O quarter! Anyways it's still a neat one.
beautiful coin.. too bad it is counterstamped but im sure to a counterstamp collector it will be worth that much more!
LOL this http://coins.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=1144&lotIdNo=19005 G.W. Capron was born circa 1804 in KY, appeared as the Head of Household on the census of 1860 in Houston, Harris, TX. He was a jeweler in 1860. And you saw this, presumably: http://stacksbowers.com/auctions/AuctionLot.aspx?LotID=258544 "The most recent research on this mark comes from Russ Rulau, who wrote an article for Numismatic News that was published April 23, 2008. It attributes the mark to George Washington Capron, a Kentucky silversmith who traveled to Mississippi where he wed Elizabeth Perry, niece of Commodore Perry. The family moved to Republic of Texas and settled in Houston about 1840. The article shares a very interesting story about Capron and his part in the Miers expedition to Mexico. Since the latest-dated piece known with the Capron mark is 1861, Rulau suggests that there is a good case that all were marked in that year or later, in Texas, and after Texas seceded from the Union. This would place their manufacture squarely under the Confederacy, making them perhaps the only Civil War tokens from Texas. Rulau states no Civil War token has ever been reported from Texas, and he believes this one is a legitimate candidate. A copy of the article is included with the coin.
Obviously, that coin desperately needs a home in a collection of Texas Confederacy artifacts. IF you were reselling.
'Tis what it is, but I like it. Although it is a shame to be on a fantastic variety, I still find it more interesting than a completely trashed non-counterstamped example.
Great counterstamp Matt. Good clean strikes like this one always show well on a nice silver coin and are classics in their own right. Bruce
I always wonder about prices, and (of course) it's only worth what you can sell it for. That said, I'd argue for MUCH HIGHER rather than PCGS list price in this case. Rusell Rulau's article from Numismatic News is MUST READ and increases the coin's value considerably. Texas Confederate- and Civil War numismatists (particularly those from the oil patch) should be seeking exactly this sort of artifact, which has additional historical significance. To realize it's optimal value, the niche market needs to know - and the right buyer will be someone extraordinary I suppose, not some typical coin collector. http://www.numismaticnews.net/article/could_these_be_civil_war_tokens_from_texas From Stack's Bowers: 1854 .... (Brunk C-161; Rulau MV 42S > CWT #695A-1a) PCGS: AG-3 $ 26. x 9.9615 = $259. (where 'Texas Premium' is 900% for a poor condition example: "Rarity rating R-8." ) Your Coin: 1854-O Huge O .... PCGS: VG-12 $2,250 (down from $2,850 at Numismatic Peak 2Q 2008) x 9.9615 = $22,413. (potentially, at the same premium and rarity circumstance, etc.) The story behind the stamp is ALL the additional value, IMO. No "shame" here!!! Or have I misunderstood something? I'm willing to admit that; I'm a contrarian who looks for value where other scoff.
I would not be surprised to see it bring less, possibly significantly less than what an undamaged Huge O would sell for. Something like this is like an error on a key date coin, a white elephant. A seated Liberty quarter specialist would much rather have an undamaged coin so it is worth less to him, and the collector of counterstamps would like to have it, but rathher it have been on a common variety because he doesn't want to have to pay a premium for a variety that doesn't interest him. So he isn't that eager to pay a premium for the counterstamp just because it is on a rare variety. The only person who would really be willing to pay an excessive premium for such a coin would be someone who specializes in rare varieties with counterstamps.
That was my thinking Conder. While it's a super neat coin... I know it'll probably be a hard sell... but I feel like I'm in it right.
Your coin won't be a hard sell to a counterstamp collector Matt, but what it would bring is anybodies guess. Conder is right about a rare variety being of no particular interest to a counterstamp collector like me, but to a coin collector it would still be of interest for that reason. To some it would be an affordable example though in his eyes damaged. Good luck with it. Bruce
It probably won't be a hard sell, it just won't sell for a premium price because it is a combination of two rarities. The counterstamp collector will happily pay for what the counterstamp is worth with no premium for the rare coin, and the quarter specialist on a budget will buy it at a discount because of the damage. Like most anything, priced appropriately it will have a ready market.
