Greetings: I found this handful of old coins amongst a relatives estate items. Know nothing about them--but hope you can provide info from my photos. Please let me know if you require further particulars. Thanks so much! Trish
In coin collecting, two of the most influential factors are rarity and condition. Unfortunately, most all of the U.S. coins you have are neither. I would guess the 1859 Indian Head cent is the most valuable of the U.S. lot and the 1917 Mercury dime would be worth $5 or so??? And I don't know about the foreign coin in the lower right hand side. The counter-stamped 2 cent piece is kinda cool though. Try to find out more about the history behind these items. -LTB
I see (starting at the upper left)- Smashed Indian Head Cent (IHC) - no value 1891 IHC - XF details with corrosion on reverse - net about VF - value about $2 - $3 1859 IHC - damaged - value maybe $4 - $5 (maybe) 1891 IHC - damaged rims - value about $1 or less Counterstamped 2-Cent Piece - the coin has been ruined by the counterstamp BUT there are collectors who will pay an example like this - This coin is a keeper. 1909 Lincoln Cent - damaged (solder - or something similar - on reverse - value very little if anything 1917 Mercury Dime - about good condition (which is pretty bad) and damaged - value is its value in silver - $2.57 - (or maybe a tad more) 1792 Spanish coin - I am not familiar with these coins so someone else will have to help you with it. I own one like it but I have not researched it. I do believe it is silver so it has some value in silver plus some additional collector value.
Good to have you here Trish. I can comment on your two counterstamped coins as I collect them. Counterstamps were commonly struck on circulating coinage in the 19th century to advertise a business, commerorate a special event, or for a variety of other reasons. The one on the Shield Nickel appears to read "E. Stocke" but may have another letter at the end. It may be "Stocker" or something similiar. You may want to look more closely at that one and see if you can see any additional letters or parts of letters. The 2-Cent Piece looks to have a poorly struck horseshoe on it. Horseshoes are known on other coins and were probably carried in someone's pocket or purse as good luck pieces. I have several similar pieces in my collection. Both of your coins were probably "pocket pieces" as indicated by the heavy wear. The "E. Stocke" counterstamp isn't listed in any references I have and its issuer probably can't be identified so has little value (maybe $20 or so). Unfortunately, the horseshoe stamp also has little value even to a collector. Sorry I couldn't bring you better news. Bruce
I did not see a Sheild Nickel among her coins. The coin with the 'E. Stocke' counterstamp appears to me to be the reverse of a Two Cent piece and with the "horseshoe" appears to be the obverse of the same Two Cent Piece.
Thank you! Thank you all so much! My relative worked in a bank so I think that is where these came from. The coin with the horseshoe is also the same one that has E.Stocke stamped on the other side.
Hopefully the OP is still around. While I agree that the counterstamp appears to spell out "E. STOCKE", I think that is incorrect. The "O" does not look like it matches the other letters, and its space should have been much wider. Since that space is so narrow, I believe that it is an "I", with the long serifs giving the appearance of an "O". If I am correct, there is a listing for an F.E. STICKEL (and also for an F.E. STICKLE). The stamp could have been physically too large to fit the "F" on the coin, and there appears to be a faint "L" at the end. What clinches it for me is that F.E. STICKEL's counterstamp is shown in the reference with the same slight arc as on the OP's coin (most c'stamps are straight), and both spellings of the name also included a horseshoe along with the name according to Brunk. So, I feel that this merchant is identified in Brunk's book as S-964, and hence would possess a higher value than mentioned above. Brunk thought this person was apparently a blacksmith, who could not decide on the proper spelling of his name. As a side note, in doing genealogy research within my own family, I find that it was not uncommon for folks back in that time to change the spelling of their name(s), sometimes multiple times.
Hello! I was just perusing my spam folder and found your post notification there! I was so excited to read of your findings. Since I don't collect coins I would be happy to sell it to a collector of this sort....where can I find valuation on this? Thank you very much ;-)
After reading cwtokenman's post I did some research of my own and think he may be right about it being a "F.E. Stickel" counterstamp. I'm not really comfortable with the "I" giving the appearance of an "O" but it could be the case. The characteristics that drew my attention most were the horseshoe (the visible part matches those stamped on Stickel's pieces), the curve of the stamp also, and the general "look" of the letters. As Ed says, the "F" of "F.E." could be invisible because of the small size of the coin. All known Stickel stamps appear on larger copper coins and tokens, and fit nicely on them. I also found two examples of these stamps that sold at auction in the past few years. One at a Heritage Auction in February, 2007, and the second sold by Rich Hartzog in 2008. The Heritage specimen was included in lot #199 with three other counterstamps and realized $220 or $55 per coin. In Hartzog's sale, an example auctioned by itself sold for $720, a fantastic price for such a piece. However, this particular specimen was from the collection of Greg Brunk, who is the recognized "guru" of counterstamped coins, and was boldly struck on a 1794 Talbot, Allum & Lee Cent (probably the only counterstamp documented on such a piece). Both these factors would inflate the price considerably. Having said that, it's tough to place a value on a counterstamp as they're thinly traded and no price guides exist to estimate values. Unfortunately, yours is poorly struck so might bring something closer to the $50 range. Putting it on E-bay would be one way to shop it around and see if anyone shows an interest. Good luck Trish. Bruce
Thank you.... Hello: I did examine my coin again and do believe you are both correct and it was stamped on a coin too small to fit it all. I have read that Mr. Stickel was a blacksmith in Hyde Park, NY. I find this all very fascinating...... Thanks for the suggestion to put it on eBay--I think that is what I will eventually do. And many thanks for all you assistance in solving this mystery! Trish
I have decided to try my luck with the aforementioned counterstamped coin on eBay this week. In the meantime, I could really use your help again....seeking info on value on these front/back pictured coins. Scrap value...or should take to a coin dealer??? Thank you....
That's my 3rd great grandfather! Franklin Eleazer Stickel, the blacksmith from Hyde Park, is my third great grandfather. This thread came up as I was doing family research. I joined this forum just to be able to tell you that.
