Here is what I believe to be a 1877 Seated Quarter. Could someone explain this impression writing on the coin and does that add value? Pictures coming up.
Its a counter stamp. Most collectors consider this to be damage but to the right person it would be desireable. It detracts from the coin but adds to its history. Have you found any info. on the company(person) that stamped the coin?
Thanks for the info. As you can see the coin itself is in really good shape. No luck on finding information on the Company though. Did searches on the Internet with no joy. Any ideas how to get info on this coin?
Hi, Actually, some counterstamped coins are extremely valuable. They used to be considered "junk" and damaged but they are now highly collectible. One in that shape could be worth a great deal. Have Fun, Bill PS: check out this link for a place to start on who may be the E.A. Race on the coin. http://dcnyhistory.org/bf3r.html
Thanks Bill- Hopefully I can find some information on what person or company made the stamp. Any help would be appreciated. Have a good night. Craig
Wow. I think you nailed it Bill. The person I got this coin from is originally from about an hour north of NYC. Can't tell you how much I appreciate this find. I will keep digging and let you know what I come up with. Thanks again. Craig
Follow up. Sent an email to the person working on that webpage to see if he has any more information on this person. Thanks again.
This counterstamp is not listed in Brunk's 2003 counterstamp book. At least two known examples are needed to be listed there. My suspicion is that E.A. Race was a private individual that stamped that coin and either E.A. or someone known to them kept this coin and put it away since it is such nice condition. I have a couple of reasons for thinking this. Merchants who were going to stamp a number of coins typically had a single stamp made, so everything could be stamped at once, speeding up the process. It was the private individuals that tended to use the individual letter stamps. The job done on your coin is above average for individual stamps, relatively even impressions with decent spacings. Also, merchants wanted their counterstamped coins to circulate, providing them with free advertising. As mentioned, your coin appears to have been stamped, then put away. Merchant counterstamps generally attract more interest than private individuals, unless that individual is well known. The problem with most private counterstamps is that they are harder to attribute, making them less desirable. Your coin does have several pluses going for it, however. Foremost is the excellent condition (many counterstamped coins are in rather poor condition), and even if E.A. was a private individual, the additional stamps giving a location as well as a date are very meaningful bonuses. Many coin collectors may not be aware, but many collectors of exonumia thrive on researching the unknown. I, as well as a great many other collectors, enjoy researching the origins of previously unknown or unidentified pieces. Old directories are much sought after and highly prized for this purpose. So, with quite a bit of info provided by the counterstamp, MO is that this would be a highly desirable piece. Values are hard to judge, especially on ebay, as the exact same item could sell for half or double what the exact same thing sold for the day before. In general, if the person or business that made the counterstamping is identified, the value will generally be at least as much, but likely more, than if the counterstamp was not present. I don't follow regular coinage values at all to know what its value as a coin may have been, but if I was expecting to win that coin in an ebay auction, I would expect to pay at least $200 for it, but that is just my opinion.
Thank you for that very detailed answer. FoundInRolls found this website: http://dcnyhistory.org/bf3r.html The person I got the coin is from Delaware County about an hour northwest of New York City and that webpage has a gentlemen named E.A. Race listed on it so I am pretty sure it is from him. I emailed the person who did the webpage and they didn't have any more information on this person. He did give me this information: The information was compiled by the late Fletcher Davidson about families in a town called Bovina in Delaware County, New York. I don't know what E.A. Race did for a living up there or anything about him but working on it. Thanks again for taking the time for the excellent response. Edited Take care Craig
