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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;BRandM, post: 1774159, member: 22729&quot;][ATTACH=full]282623[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]282630[/ATTACH] Here&#039;s a new counterstamp I picked up on eBay last week. Both stamps are listed in Brunk but not on the same coin. I&#039;ve been researching the two names to see if I can find a connection but having had any luck yet.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Benjamin C. Hoff was a Syracuse, NY shopkeeper selling jewelry and musical instruments from the mid 1850&#039;s until at least 1870. Before living in Syracuse he lived in Auburn about 30 miles away, apparently, engaged in the same business. I found a record of a bankruptcy filing for him in 1868. He was still in Syracuse in 1870 but had relocated to Pittsburgh sometime before 1880. The &quot;B.C. Hoff&quot; stamp is the same one he marked his jewelry and tableware with. There are about 50 examples of his counterstamp documented, about half of them on S/L Quarters.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The identity of &quot;L.F. Hunt&quot; hasn&#039;t been determined so far but I think there may be some connection to Hoff from his years in Auburn.&nbsp; Of course Hunt may have just stamped his name on an already circulating coin. This happened with some frequency in the 19th century, particularly among rival businessmen. There are only 2 known examples of Hunt&#039;s counterstamp. </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I don&#039;t know what the &quot;spoke&quot; counterstamps mean. I&#039;ve seen the very same stamp on other unrelated issues. There&#039;s some agreement among researchers that it may be the mark of a wheelwright, but I haven&#039;t seen any research to prove it. I think it probably represents something else.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Bruce[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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