came across this quarter with a DE Sizer counterstamp. From my research it comes back from Victor, New York. David E. Sizer, merchant, is listed in the 1860 census. I also found this little print about this. Do these counterstamps have any value today? Here it is
I forgot to mention that there are 11 examples known in the latest census, only 3 on quarters. There was a jeweler named J. Sizer in Victor also. He was a jeweler and likely related to David. The style and size of David's mark suggests that he may have been a jeweler as well. Bruce
Relatively rare Big Tee, but with counterstamps it's not unusual to have only one or two examples known. With a few notable exceptions... Devins & Bolton, Pear's Soap, etc...most issues show fewer than a dozen examples. Many were stamped as personal pieces or to advertise a small local business so only a small number were struck and of those few most didn't survive. The bigger issuers like the two I mentioned were struck in huge quantities, sometimes hundreds of thousands over a period of years. I probably have several hundred "R-10" stamps in my collection but that doesn't necessarily make them valuable. Their value lies elsewhere. Bruce
