Any information would be appreciated thanks in advance Paddy @Seattlite86 , @SuperDave @heavycam.monstervam
I wish I could zoom in on the token; I can't read it but having researched, I know it says "to purify the blood". I'd wager that's Andrew Jackson on the stamp. Here's some light reading. Discusses Ayers specifically with encased stamps: http://www.ephemerasociety.org/blog/?p=883 Ayers general info on the sarsaparilla: http://www.nytimes.com/1860/07/14/news/ayer-s-sarsaparilla.html https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:h415pd98w
Annnnnd, nailed it! search for Andrew Jackson in this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postage_stamps_and_postal_history_of_the_United_States That was the "Black Jack"
This is really cool reading; I recommend everyone take a gander: Widespread hoarding of coins during the Civil War created a shortage, prompting the use of stamps for currency. To be sure, the fragility of stamps made them unsuitable for hand-to-hand circulation, and to solve this problem, John Gault invented the encased postage stamp in 1862. A normal U. S. stamp was wrapped around a circular cardboard disc and then placed inside a coin-like circular brass jacket. A transparent mica window in the jacket allowed the face of the stamp to be seen. All eight denominations available in 1861-62, ranging from 1 cent to 90 cents, were offered in encased versions.
Wow, thats gotta be rare! Although the market 4 stamps is at the bottom of a cliff, those civil war encased ones appeal to a much broader audience and are technically currency (imo).... Ive always wanted one of those and although i set up @ the Don Scott antique show 4 × a year AND the antique extravaganza in Springfield ive never seen one in person. WAY COOL!! sorry i cant help w any info, but the cool factor alone should make that piece semi-valuable
Many of the Jackson 2 cent stamps are way up there in price with only one being reasonably priced. I'll always not know which this one was though. Nice pick up and very collectible.
To be honest It's not mine! A dealer friend got it in a large collection he purchased . And yes from what he told me from the reference he has researched extremely RARE! But he asked me to reach out to see if the community here had any idea of any more information . So I told him I would post it and see what comes back. He did find out the person who made these....and that the original ones didn't have the advertisement on the back. Just a plain back. This was done after the first run were made. His references give a value somewhere in the 10 to 15 K range. Having looked at this and also having seen them in my 50 years of collecting . ....this one is cherry! The mica window is clear no chips or discoloration . This is the sort of find we all want to run across at least once in our lifetime.
Maybe one of the exo guys can help w this.... Which one? Idk but im sure someone can drop a name? Supposedly Segs/Larry Briggs can identify/appraise these..... I will see him in Springfield w/in the next 2 months I would summons him but idk what his screen name on CT is
They are rare, but there are a lot of "improved" encased postage stamps out there. A better stamp (diff type or better color) or mica window. Check the edge of the ID opening with high magnification for signs it's been pried open. I remember reading about fakes years ago in something like the Numismatist or a Bowers and Merena publication I googled some images and many have stamps that look more worn than the one in your pic. I am far from an expert on these but am a little suspicious. I hope it's authentic.
I believe they are listed in the Scott specialized catalog. Maybe in the currency references too. At work right now so can't look in my reference collection at the moment. A lot goes into grading these, such as, condition of the mica panel, the stamp underneath and the case. Very interesting as currency, and postage. If I remember right, was replaced by postal currency.
