Another of Steve Hayden's token auctions (#33) just closed on December 11th, and prices for counterstamps and other material seemed pretty strong. I bid on 7 lots and actually won 6 of them, very good results for me. I got a 7th one when the consignor decided to put a fixed price on a lot that didn't sell. The average price realized for 20 lots was about $231.00, up a good amount from the last auction in September. I think the material offered was a little better this time, and included a few pieces from Dave Bower's collection. Surprisingly, a counterstamp on a 1907-D $5 gold didn't sell. It had a suggested bid range of $750-$1000, but received a high bid of only $500 I think, so it was rejected. Generally counterstamps on gold coins sell easily and for good money because of their rarity. This one though (T.R. Berry) was unlisted, and weakly struck, so not very appealing. So far I've only received one lot in the mail, but I'll post a pic of it. This one is particulary interesting because it has multiple names struck on it. "C.(harles Forsberg" was a New York medical instrument manufacturer in the 1850's. He issued his own counterstamps also, but only 2 or 3 pieces are known all on 1853/1854 S/L Quarters. T.T. Robinson, Raos, and W.H. Brady are unknowns, but may be traceable through old city directories. On these type of multiple strikes it's sometimes the case where a die sinker decided to test his punchs on a coin to check for quality and accuracy. If this is the case here, then these four men may not be related in any way. I have traced a few stamps like this over the years, but never with this many names. Bruce
I'd probably offer $75 for something like this piece, but at a good auction you might get $100 or a bit more. You never know. A few of the counterstamps that just sold in Hayden's auction were auctioned by Stack's just this past September and were sold for 100-$150. They sold this time for about $100 more, just three months later. I like your "Ward" because of the unusual letter style. Bruce
Terrific news Bruce! Love the new piece and the history you have to share. Congrats on all the winning lots!
This is another one of the pieces I just bought from the auction. It's probably one of the most unusual counterstamps I've ever seen, because of the stamp itself and the hole. I don't know if both were put there at the same time or not, but they look like they were placed after the coin had circulated a bit. The only part of the date that's visible is the last number...7. The style of the stamp itself is very old, and looks to be early 1800's, maybe even earlier. The inside of the hole is very smooth and tapers from larger on the obverse to smaller on the reverse. Do any of you guys have any ideas what the stamp might represent or why the hole was put in the coin? I thought some of the foreign coin collectors on the forum might have seen this before. I appreciate any help or suggestions. Bruce
I finally had a chance to take pics of the other four lots. 1. "Houston / (Co)ncord, NH". This was issued by Harry Houston, a blacksmith and carriage maker working from about 1830 to 1860. This particular counterstamp was probably struck in the 1840's. The coin is heavily worn, but appears to be an 1835. This piece is unique. 2. "N. Custer / Philada". Nathaniel Custer was a white and blacksmith in Philadelphia in the 1840's and 1850's. There are five examples known of this stamp. This piece was last owned by Dave Bowers. 3. "HJK". This is unlisted by Greg Brunk, but is noted in Rulau as MAV 24V. Only two other examples are documented, one on an 1800, and the other on an 1802 Large Cent. This one's date is unreadable, but is also a very early Large Cent. The maker is unknown. The style of lettering (Rulau calls it "serif-style") is extremely old, probably dating back to no later than 1810 or 1820. The placement of the period or bullet after "H" and "K" is also unique to counterstamps from this period. The multiple strikes of a sideways 4 where the date would be were probably added about the same time as the initials. There are also two large #6's punched on the reverse. The numbers are unique to this specimen only. 4. "A. Klinger / Jeweler / Elkhart, Ind" Klinger is difficult to trace, but was in Elkhart at least in the mid to late 1850's. By 1860 he was practicing in Niles, MI. There are 12 examples known of his stamp. Anybody on C/T live in Elkhart or Niles? If you do and you run into this guy, tell him I'd like to interview him. Bruce
These are such a fascinating angle to coin collecting. I appreciate all of the info and pics you have shared about your new pieces. Congrats on owning a coin with a direct Bowers provenance. Really nice pick ups.
Thanks Chris. The history behind counterstamps really fascinates me and makes me want to find out as much about them as I can. Dave Bowers made an attempt at cataloging these pieces back in the 50's when he was a young man. I know he has (or had...it appears as though he's selling them) a large collection of them. As a matter of fact when Greg Brunk decided to write his first book on counterstamps, he consulted Dave because of his knowledge in the area and the huge number of examples he had. Dr. Brunk himself has been involved in research probably for the better part of 40 years. He also had a huge collection which he auctioned off through Rich Hartzog over the past few years. I also own a couple of his pieces and have the old lot tags from the original sale. I think it's cool when you can document previous owners of any coin. Bruce
