Post your chopmarked/counter stamped coins!

It's been over a year for this thread. I got a doozy, though not a world coin. Let's see some more!

 

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1895 Widow Head Half Penny with "DON" and standing figure counterstamped:











If anyone had any insight into this counterstamp it would be very much appreciated.

 

A nice old counterstamp, C-B-D. I don't know if you have any history on your piece or not, but just in case you don't...

Brunk lists both "H.G. Buell" and "H.H. Buell". Only "H.H." is attributed, but his stamp looks very much like the "H.G" stamp on your coin. I thought immediately that they might be related. They were.

I looked into both men and found that the research Brunk used (not his) was partly incorrect. Your counterstamp was issued by a jeweler in Courtland, NY named Harlow G. Buell. Buell's son was Horace Henry (H.H.) Buell who was a clock maker later in life. Both stamps are typical styles and sizes for jewelers and clock makers, so I'm confident that these attributions are correct.

H.G. was born in 1816 and married Caroline M. Sanford in 1836. I believe he died in the 1860s. H.H. was born in 1845 and passed away in Port Richmond, NY in 1891, only 46 years old.

Your counterstamp is denoted B-1278 by Brunk who only lists one example...on an 1808 Half Dollar. Yours is the second example then. Congrats on a great coin.

Bruce

 

I knew this one was the second one found, but I didn't know anything else about it, so thank you VERY much. It's going to ANACS, who attributes counterstamped coins with problem-free grades. YOU DA MAN!

 

Your counterstamp looks very familiar to me, Diplodocus, but I can't quite place it. At first glance, it appears to be an advertising piece for a men's clothing store, but that's just a guess. I'll look into it and see if I can find anything.

Bruce

 

I searched high and low for this image, Diplodocus, but couldn't find it. The stamp is likely English because of the host coin. It's definitely not American, as U.S. counterstamps almost never appear on English coins...especially from this era.

On a whim though, I looked up the definition of the word "Don". Interestingly, the word is used as a title, mostly by the British. A "Don" would be a college or university professor, tutor, or fellow. It seems to be confined to either Oxford or Cambridge Universities, for whatever reason. The figure on your coin seems to have on academic robes of some sort, so maybe it's origin lies here somewhere. Just a theory, but maybe worth pursuing.

Are their any other markings on the coin that aren't visible in the pictures? Stray letters, symbols, numbers, or anything else that might give us a clue as to it's issuer.

Bruce

 

Here are a couple. Something old and something "new."

Cheers

 

Whenever someone writes a new and very new book on a subject it really inspires interest. That means the price of poker goes up. I highly recommend Chopmarked Coins-A History- by Colin James Gullberg. Colin is the new president of the Chop Marked Coin Collectors Club.

Here is another from my collection. It's a four reale which are scare as a chopped coin. It was actually my first chop marked coin I acquired in the early 80's. Enjoy.

 

What great insights and thoughts on this. It makes me like this piece all the more. Thanks.

I bought this from a UK Ebay seller who took a little off the listed price for me. I don't think there are any other markings on the coin. In the sellers original pics I thought perhaps the standing figure was holding something in his left hand or grasping the hilt of a sword, but in my pics above I don't really see it anymore.

I sure am interested in the college don idea, makes sense.

 

Here's Buell's mark on an 1853 quarter. As this is te latest date so far, his stamping of coins likely occurred in the mid 1850's. This was, in effect, the heyday of counterstamping coins. Buell likely used this quarter as a tag of sorts, given the hole. Perhaps, his shop key was attached? Fun stuff to contemplate the activities surrounding the early merchants ...

 

I have a few. The first one I purchased from an antique dealer that had it labeled as Thasos, but if anything it may be from Plomari on Lesbos if it is even legit.



This one is on an India Bombay Presidency 1/4 anna. I think it is Qa' iti State in the Yemen Eastern Aden Protectorate.



Hejaz...

 

What do you think about this one Bruce?


https://www.ebay.com/itm/Estate-182...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2055359.m1431.l2649

 

I like it, fretboard. Most of these are on Quarters, so being struck on a dime is a bit unusual. There's only about 20 examples of this counterstamp documented, so it's a good one. Is it yours?

Bruce

 

Here is a flying camel c/s

Yabghu of Tokharistan
"Hormizd IV" type
7th century
AR drachm

 

That is AWESOME!

 

No not mine, I thought it was legitimate but it's on a dime so I thought I'd stop at $55 and walk away. It only sold for $236.27, a quarter would have done much better. I think the other bidders felt the same way as I did. Never seeing a dime with the counter stamp made me leery.

 

I've seen one or two on Dimes, Fretboard. This one looks completely legit to me, but if you're uncomfortable with something you have to walk away. I've done it many times with no regrets.

Bruce

 

Just a heads up to any counter stamp collectors who are in my area and have the dinero! This is a very rare quarter, like super rare! Wish I had the bread to cover this one but no can do. Great looking counter stamps on this thread with the H.G. Buell and that Arabic one! Here's one I just bought, I haven't even received it yet, sellers pics! Very cool!!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/J-L-Polhem...238707?hash=item4b414eecf3:g:ZTsAAOSwl8Ja2lcq

 

The host coin for the Polhemus c/s is a British shilling, not a quarter, and no 1816 quarters were made. My guess is that this piece will fetch between $400-$500.

I suspect that the tiny, diamond-shaped c/s on the 1879 Indian may be a jeweler's mark or else that of a cutler.