Only took 61 days to arrive lol.... long ID process shortened to... Paris Mint mark 1880ish, original die Obv, restrike bronze... and pretty damn sure it will grade MS Making me a happy camper
The Paris Mint still makes restrikes of these medals, which bear edge-stamping reading ARGENT for silver, OR for gold, and CUIVRE for copper. The originals, as here, have an unbroken reeded edge. Famed 19th century American numismatist W. Elliot Woodward described the Castorland "jetons" or medals thusly in 1867: "The head on the obverse is that of Cybele, personifying the earth as inhabited and cultivated; the wreath of laurel, the emblem of victory, signifies that the goddess conquers the wildness and ruggedness of nature, and brings earth under the dominion, and subservient to the uses of man. The reverse represents Ceres, who holds in one hand a 'bit', with which she has tapped a sugar-maple--in which a faucet , technically a spile, is inserted to draw off the sap; in her right arm she supports a cornucopia of flowers, and at her feet lies a sheaf of wheat; thus combining, in a single group, emblems of three seasons. In the exergue appears a beaver [Castor in Latin]. The obverse inscription is FRANCO-AMERICANA COLONIA (French-American Colony) with the name Castorland and date 1796; the reverse, SALVE MAGNA PARENS FRUGUM, a quotation from Virgil, may it be rendered 'Hail ! great parent of fruits.' " Both sides are signed with the imprimatur of the great French medallist Benjamin Duvivier. Also the below article mentions the reason for the restrikes... According to Victor Morin the Paris trustees were not entitled to any salary but received "two tokens of presence" as compensation for attending board meetings in Paris. These "jetons" are also referred to by numismatists as the Castorland Medal or the demi écus "Half Dollar". Thus, although this item was related to the colony it was struck in Paris for distribution in Paris. https://coins.nd.edu/ColCoin/ColCoinIntros/Castorland.intro.html All in all a very interesting Medal/coin
Thanks @mrweaseluv ! Very educational . I knew it was a Maple tree. We got tons of them in New England with the old spile . Are you sure that's wheat and what is that animal all about ?
The animal is a "beaver" or "Castor" IE Castorland I probably should have said the above description is not my own wording but taken from the coin description at icollector.com
Nice medal! In my Forrer reference, Biographical Dictionary of Medallists, his full name is listed as Pierre Simon Benjamin Duvivier, 1728-1819. It is interesting to note that his father, Jean Duvivier was a medallist to the court of France. Jean feared that his son might surpass him in talent, so he did not wish to teach him the medallic art. One night, he caught his son copying a medal so he kicked him out of the house.
