These are some of the new counterstamps I picked up at the Baltimore show on Friday. The Large Cent captioned "Tryon/Philada/Pa/1846" was issued by a Philadelphis gunsmith named Edward K. Tryon. He joined his father (George W..) in business in 1833 in a smithy Edward founded c1812. In 1865 Edward's brother George M. joined the firm, and the name changed to Tryon & Co. Eventually the business became involved in sporting goods exclusively, and finally folded in 1905. Gunsmith counterstamps are always valuable, and this one is no exception. This example is the only one known. "Le Picotin Aperitif" is the first French counterstamp in my collection. It's fairly common, several dozen being documented, but strangely only a handful on French coins. Most appear on English coins. This was a French liquor made by a firm located in the suburbs of Paris, but they had their warehouse in the city at 16 Rue Quincampoix. There are two varieties known, those with a fully stamped "P" in Picotin, and those with a broken "P" such as this one. These were probably stamped in the 1880's or 90's judging by the style of the stamp. The other three counterstamps are undocumented, but "C.W. Tilton" may be the mark of a jeweler or watchmaker, due to its small size. "P. Dodge" is a very old mark probably from the 1830's, and is likely that of a metalworker of some sort. "E.P. Everett" is also unknown and needs some research to possibly attribute it. Bruce
These are the last three that I picked up at the show. All these are unattributed, but the "T.M. Bush" piece was probably a personal ID of some sort because of the placement of the hole and the counterstamp. It probably wasn't worn for a long period of time, because there's not a lot of wear showing around the hole. "S.T" is a very early issue likely from about 1810 to maybe the 1830's. The period placed midway between the two initials is indicative of an early 1800's style of lettering. "W.W. Dexter" is probably unattributable because of the very common surname. As always though, I'll look into all of these and see what "shakes loose". Bruce
Very interesting. I did find a jeweler from Pawtucket R. I. named W. W. Dexter but don't have a clue if it fits in any way.
Very interesting counterstamps. You mention the gunsmith stamps are desireable pieces, I'm guessing the aren't all labeled with the location of the business? It would seem the city/state included in the stamp would make it a lot more desire able...is that generally true?
You might be right about the Pawtucket, RI source furham. The size of the stamp might indicate a jeweler, but there are other possibilities too. When I did some research on this piece I came up with a lot of Dexters in Rhode Island and New Hampshire. This coin was probably stamped in the late 1850's or early 1860's. I'll check out your idea and let you know if I find anything. Thanks much. Bruce
Most stamps don't have the city included with the name, so it does add to the appeal and also makes an attribution easier. The Large Cents were the workhorse of commerce in those days, but generally only circulated locally or in a small geographic area. For that reason, the reference to a city wasn't necessary as most people would know who you were. Just punching your name on a coin was sufficent for advertising purposes. Most gunsmith stamps are just a copy of the punches they used to mark their weapons with. Bruce
I did some serious research on the lead you gave me yesterday furham, and have decided that this counterstamp was likely issued by your Pawtucket, RI jeweler. Waterman Willard Dexter (born in 1824) started his business in 1854 (jewelry and watchmaking) and practiced the trade at least into the 1890's. At some point, his son Fred joined the firm and carried on in the business for years after his father retired. Waterman died in 1909. Though it's not certain he was the issuer of the counterstamped coin, all the information I found on him strongly suggests that he was. What clinched it for me was when I examined the images of a number of trade cards and advertisements that he issued over the years and found that the style he used on them matched exactly the style of the counterstamp. That's about as good as it gets when you're researching these often obscure pieces. Thanks so much for your help on this one furham, I appreciate it very much. Bruce
You are correct, this coin was issued by my great great great grandfather Waterman Willard Dexter of Pawtucket Rhoad Island.
Thanks for the confirmation Seawaatty. I'll make a note of it in my file. Now I know without doubt that he issued it. Bruce
