Counterstamped Coins

There is another counterstamp from the same era that begins with P and that one has a broken version – maybe that is what I am thinking of (I can picture the broken P clear as day, but I can’t recall the name on the stamp).

As for PEARS – I buy them whenever I can get them for a good price - I must have almost a dozen. Some day I will have to line them up and look for varieties. I do recall that there is a simple letter style (no serifs) and a “fancy” style (lots of serifs). In my mind I associate the plain text with the earlier/worn dates, and the fancy one with later dates. That might not be accurate, though.

 

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What do you guys think about this one. very inexpensive and its one prepared punched one?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/COIN-TOKEN-...047?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27d3bbc9ef

Think its worth it?

 

Looks to be a prepared punch sd but sometimes hard to tell. The "Brim" stamp is unlisted and probably can't be identified but for $12 why not. It's your call of course, so if you like it go for it. Bruce

 

You're probably thinking of the French counterstamp "Le Picotin Aperitif" Jeff. There are broken "P" and normal "P" varieties. I have an example of each in my collection. While overall the issue is common the unbroken "P" seems quite rare. While I've seen many, many of the broken "P" stamps, I've only seen a single example of the unbroken variety...the one in my collection. Bruce

 

Lesson learned the hard way is to post links to auction still in progress. There are those out there in Internet land that will bid against you and either cause you to pay more than you wanted or will snipe it at the last second only to leave you disappointed. When considering your viewing audience ..always keep in that back of your mind that you are posting in a den of thieves and to show your hand is often not wise.....there is no loyalty among the lurkers. Forewarned is forearmed.

 

You are right. It was my mistake.

 

I just purchased the coin. I really like Brim. I think of it as a name and Brim sounds like a really nice name. Its crazy to try and guess who could have stamped that in the coin. Its my first counterstamped coin I ever bought and I am very excited about it and for the coins that I will be purchasing in the future. Thanks so much for all the help you've been! It is people like YOU that make this hobby so great!

 

Congrats on your first buy sd. If there's anything else I can help you with don't hesitate to ask. Best of luck to you. Bruce

 

Punches are quite cheap on eBay, I decided to pick one that was near, and dear, to me.... a pint of beer!! The surface area was quite large, so I choose a Canadian nickel dollar and gave it a good test whack. This coin is large enough, and thick enough (pure nickel) so that the reverse appears generally unaffected. So now, I can toss nickel dollars as tips and say 'Cheers, have a pint with the Queen'...

 

That is great! I like the look of it and the underlying message. I had not seen that punch on eBay – I may have to look for it. Maybe you can list one of your dollars at some point – I might want to add one to my collection.
Do the old large dollars still circulate in Canada? Or, more specifically can you still get them, at the bank for example? I always liked the large Canadian dollars.

 

Picotin – that was it. Thanks for coming up with that. I “might” also have an unbroken P – not sure – I will organize things and see what I come up with.

 

Just like all coins even counter punches are faked. I took a bunch of old cull large cents and punched a few letters on the back to see if I could replicate the look and feel of vintage punched coins. After a few months toning in my cigar box and on my window sill, they were indistinguishable from the real deal ..so now you need to be confortable with the counterpunched coin being punched contemporary to the date or done decades or even a century or more later than the date on the coin.

 

That is what I was trying to get at in an earleir post. "Free form" (single letter/number punches) are a minefield. Collectors need to become familiar with type styles, punctuation, and wear patterns.

On your cull large cents, for example, the type style is almost certainly not consistent with a counterstamp contemporary to the date on the coin; the coin is probably heavily worn/damaged while the stamp (and distortion, if any) on the opposite side) is presumably sharp and clear; and, depending on what you stamped, the punctuation might be off (in the 19th century they used periods after everything - even single word phrases or names, in some cases). I am willing to bet that your coins, no matter how well done, might send up some red flags to serious collectors of counterstamps.

But, the basic point you make is valid and critically improptant. I am always extra suspicious of an old coin that has a c/stamp made with single punches (or a modern looking pictorial punch as we have seen on eBay recently) that would have had little or no value without it.

 

I never found counterfeit counterstamps to be a problem recognizing. Generally there's at least one red flag, in most cases several, that give it away. As JBK says, font style, sharpness of strike, type of coin (Gold Rush era or early western c/s were rarely if ever stamped on copper coins...nearly always silver), use of individual letter punches, punctuation, and wear patterns among other things have to be considered when authenticating a c/s. You also have to remember andrew289 that c/s are sometimes stamped many years after the host coin was minted, and for good reason. Well worn coins, often large Spanish coins, were chosen as a host because the lack of design elements remaining made the counterstamp more readable. For advertising purposes this was essential. Bruce

 

Generally the old nickel dollars do not circulate, but banks and coin shops still have them and I can get them at face value. They were made from 1968 to 1986 (1987 for coin sets). Lots of commemoratives in 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1982, 1984.

Send me a note, pick your favourite year and I'll whack one for you, for face value plus postage.

Alternatively, spend a bit more here:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/290889050411

and whack the beer stamp on anything you see fit!!

 

SPP: I had four personal stamps made for me over the years that I apply to modern coins as well as older U.S. culls. If you're interested in getting copies I'd be glad to stamp a few coins and send them on to you at no cost...my compliments. Send me your address by p/m if you're interested. This offer also applies to any other C/T members. Bruce

 

Heres one i just purchased. Got it for $55 including shipping.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/330720366441?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2648

 

Just purchased another counterstamp. I really like the ones with the dates on them.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/330936262223?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2648

 

Not a bad price sd. Nice clean stamp with a date and initials. Congrats! Bruce

 

Thanks!