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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;ExoMan, post: 2444580, member: 72588&quot;]@ Diplodicus .... Welcome to CoinTalk.</p><p><br /></p><p>Brunk listed two large cents, dated 1821 and 1855 (catalog # C-954); this, back in 2003. Brunk did then not offer any prospective issuers for this counterstamp. Perhaps, he will do so in his next edition that is currently in the works. The fact that the latest date is 1855 helps narrow the time frame; most likely, between the years 1855-60. The decade of the 1850&#039;s tends to be the foremost era for issuing counterstamped coins.</p><p><br /></p><p>It does appear that, whoever L.C. Cory was, he applied some thought to the placement of his stamp. The obverse position, opposite Liberty&#039;s mouth, akin to a speech bubble in cartoons, was often used. It appears that Cory was careful to avoid interfering with this particular cent&#039;s design elements. From my perspective, as a student of counterstamps, it would be interesting to see if he was equally careful on other of his specimens. </p><p><br /></p><p>Looking at some early directories, I see that the name Cory was a relatively common one back then. Having two initials helps somewhat, but oftentimes more info is needed to peg a counterstamp issuer with any degree of certainty.</p><p><br /></p><p>One L.C. Cory appears in the 1853 Ohio State Business Directory as a livestock dealer, located in New Carlisle.&nbsp; Presently, he&#039;s the only one to jump out in my cursory search of online, early directories. While this individual&#039;s occupation is not one that is typically associated with counterstamps, it was not uncommon for folks back then to pursue two or more occupations. Then too, many men were active in Masonic and other fraternal orders, learning various skills from their brothers and pursuing patents for their ideas.</p><p><br /></p><p>To me, the letter style and the use of a &quot;stop&quot; or period, following the surname, suggests this particular counterstamp is a Civil War issue. The stamp is well designed and the issuer may have been a craftsman; this, unless another party made the stamp for him. The fact that there are at least three known specimens suggests that some measure of advertising was intended.</p><p><br /></p><p>Another, or the same L.C. Cory, appears to have worked in the hardware business for his father, William, in Otsego, NY, circa 1888. He had been working in that business, elsewhere in western NY, some years prior; this, according to a newspaper article I spotted. </p><p><br /></p><p>On a side note, it has often taken me years to positively ID any particular issuer of a counterstamp. Sometimes, it can be done in minutes, and that&#039;s really an AHA moment!&nbsp; For me, the fun of collecting these puppies is the art of unraveling the mystery and history that often accompanies them ... the stories they can tell. </p><p><br /></p><p>Let&#039;s see if Bruce can shed more light ... <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie99" alt=":watching:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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