One of my purchases I got at a pawn shop here in Auburn, Maine a few years ago. The "reverse" is engraved with the name Hattie Maria Spolett. She was born here in Maine on Mar 25 1866. I bought this for less than 5 dollars in a lot I had. I don't think the guy who sold it knew anything about it. I wanted to get it to a descendant of hers, and as a genealogist, I tried very hard, but it appears she has no living descendants. How sad, but now she's in my junk silver envelope. Any thoughts my friends? Would have been quite a nice coin otherwise :/
Don't sell it for junk silver. Worth much more. Ask @lordmarcovan about value. He is very knowledgeable on this topic. It is pierced so that is an added feature.
I have it in the "junk silver" folder, which admittedly is rather small right now. I plan to keep it as it is cool but I was unaware of any additional value. I will contact some more people and see if they like it. I would be willing to get rid of it as I am saving for a nice MS princess head.
The centennial obviously is the gem of those. Very nice! The sailor one too is interesting. Thanks for sharing with us!
It is STILL a nice coin, and possibly worth almost as much for being a superb love token as it would’ve been if it were an undamaged Bust half. As a love token, it is literally unique. As a love token with a specific provenance like that, it is all the better. Do not lament the “damage”. Because of the engraving, you know much more of the coin’s history than you would have otherwise, and the genealogical research possibilities are potentially quite interesting, as you mentioned. Besides, it was a “steal” at that price.
Back in the 1800's, a half dollar went a long way. A good chunk of the average person's wages, she must have meant a lot to the giver. Either that or he was well off. Whatever the case, that explains why few love tokens above a dime were crafted. I've even seen one from a 2 1/2 eagle.
@tibor- thank you for tagging me on this thread. I messaged @Evan Saltis about the love token in the original post, since it is an ideal fit for my sideline “holey” collection, and I prefer nice holey love tokens to plain old holed coins. We made a trade. As mentioned previously, the coin in the original post is a special love token for a number of reasons: The engraving style, while not superbly ornate, is good. There is a genealogically identifiable person (first and last name) and her birthdate on it. Any love token on a Bust half host coin is a little better. Plus, this one has high grade details on the obverse. The initial “S” also happens to correspond to my own last name. In return, since Evan wanted an unaltered Bust half for his type set, I sent him this 1832, which is a nice grey “CircCam”, plus a few other trinkets. Win-win. The unaltered coin below fits his collection better, and the love token above suits mine perfectly.
It’s a beauty as a love token. I’ve actually never seen a bust half so treated. Usually seated coins or liberty gold
Shame about that small hole but what a wonderful piece to find at a ridiculously low price. It's found a good home!
Actually, the hole is a major criterion for it to fit in my collection. Can’t pin it to my cork board if it ain’t a “holey”! (Eventually, I’m gonna reincarnate my formerly-famous hat.)
[QUOTE="lordmarcovan, post: 5142444, member: 10461] (Eventually, I’m gonna reincarnate my formerly-famous hat.) [/QUOTE] I do miss you wearing your hat.
I'm thinking a full Tux.... with the hat ...so when he walks everyone sez....there goes Mr. Jingles. )
This is an 1865 half I picked up a while ago. I'm still trying to find out what happened to this person.
I have several holed foreign coins from an old charm bracelet that I'd be happy to trade you. PM me if you are interested.