What you probably didnt know about 1861 O
What you probably didn’t know about 1861 -O Half Dollars Bill Bugert
Confederate Half Dollar Where was this coin minted? • - The New Orleans Branch Mint! • Liberty Seated Collectors Club Images courtesy of Stack’s
Outline • • • 1861 -Os: Fact or Fiction Circa 1861 History in South 3 Minting Authorities Timeline Randy Wiley’s 1861 -O study 1861 -O Die Marriages ― Union ― State of Louisiana ― Confederate States of America Restrikes and Tokens Fantasy Strikes Wrap up Liberty Seated Collectors Club Page 3
Fact or Fiction • • • 1861 -O Half Dollars are one of the most popular and collected Liberty Seated Half Dollar dates – Fact No one can distinguish U. S. , LA, or CSA 1861 -O half dollars – Fiction The Confederate half dollar reverse die was too large for the steam press so the halves were struck with a screw press – Fact CSA ran out of silver so they couldn’t mint any more Confederate half dollars – Fiction CSA struck 1861 -O half dollars are rare – Fiction Most U. S. 1861 -O half dollars were stolen – that’s why they are so rare – Maybe! Liberty Seated Collectors Club
The South in 1861 • New Orleans was the largest city in the South Population over 168, 000 – Commercial heart of the Deep South (main exports were cotton, sugar, and tobacco) – 7 U. S. slave states seceded after the November 1860 election of Abraham Lincoln • State of LA seceded on January 22, 1861 • – 2 federal buildings: Branch Mint and Customs House Liberty Seated Collectors Club
New Orleans Branch Mint – Then and now… 1907 postcard Liberty Seated Collectors Club 2013
New Orleans timeline, early 1861 1/22 LA secedes 2/4 CSA formed 1/31 LA seizes N. O. Mint Union 30 days 2/28 CSA controls N. O. Mint State of LA 29 days 3/11 CSA Constitution 4/12 Fort Sumter assault 4/30 New Orleans Mint closed 4/28/62 New Orleans city captured CSA 62 days Who controlled the New Orleans Branch Mint? Liberty Seated Collectors Club
3 Minting Authorities • 1861 -O half dollars are the only U. S. silver coins minted with the same date/design by 3 different governments. United States of America (Union) – State of Louisiana (LA) – Confederate States of America (CSA) – Liberty Seated Collectors Club
Randy Wiley’s 1861 -O Study Award winning recognized expert on Liberty Seated Half Dollars and 1861 -O half dollars • Two articles published his findings • Gobrecht Journal Issue 94, November 2005 – Gobrecht Journal Issue 97, November 2006 – • Lengthy analysis Studied three large hoards of 1861 -Os – Linked all dies (next page) – Suggested an average die life – Exploited known minting authority mintages and applied them to the linked dies – • Exponentially increased interest in this date Liberty Seated Collectors Club
Recent research slightly adjusts LA and CSA mintages Liberty Seated Collectors Club
Union Issues Minted in January 1861 • By far, the rarest of the 1861 -O issues • 2 die marriages (W-01, W-02) with same obverse die • Warning: 1861 -O half dollars are some of the most difficult die marriages to distinguish. Use all die diagnostics to differentiate them. Liberty Seated Collectors Club
State of Louisiana Issues 6 die marriages (4 obverse/3 reverse dies) • None rare • None especially interesting • Distinguishable by die cracks, die lines, tiny lumps, and clashes • Liberty Seated Collectors Club
Confederate (CSA) Issues Most popular of the 3 minting authorities • 7 die marriages (4 obverse/4 reverse dies including genuine CSA half dollar) • Most popular easily identifiable die marriages • WB-102 Liberty Seated Collectors Club WB-103 WB-104
Genuine Confederate Half Dollars 4 Known – – Struck in April 1861 Distributed as follows: • Confederate Government (CSA Sec of Treasury to CSA President Jefferson Davis) – Sold Stack’s Ford Collection 10/2003 ($632, 500) – Sold FUN 1/2015 Heritage sale (881, 250) • Professor Riddell (Biddle), University of LA – Henry P. Kendall Collection, Stacks 3/2015 ($646, 250) • Dr. E. Ames, New Orleans Physician – Found in circulation ~ 1912 – Eric P. Newman sale, 11/2017 (960, 000) • Dr. B. F. Taylor, Chief Coiner, NO Branch Mint – Also owned the reverse die – Presented to the ANS in 1918 Liberty Seated Collectors Club
Status of CSA Die What happened to the die? • Dr. B. F. Taylor owned it and sold it to NYC dealer J. W. Scott in 1879 • Scott used it for restrikes/tokens; defaced it, then MIA. • – J. Sanford Saltus (1918) to Louisiana Historical Society? Liberty Seated Collectors Club
Confederate Restrikes Made in 1879 by dealers J. W. Scott and David Proskey • From the purchased Confederate reverse die • 500 1861 -O halves with reverse planed (lathed) off • Flattened obverse – A few reverses were not planed off and overstruck – • Underlying features faintly visible • Extremely rare Liberty Seated Collectors Club
Flattened Obverse Liberty Seated Collectors Club
Identifying Genuine vs. Restrike CSA Half dollars • Less than 6 known restrikes with CSA die crack Liberty Seated Collectors Club
Scott-Proskey Tokens Made in 1879 by NYC dealers Scott/Proskey • Using purchased Confederate reverse die • Special obverse die • 500 white metal planchets (made for contingency) • Liberty Seated Collectors Club
CSA Half Dollar Tokens and Fantasy Medals • • • Very common Easily located Quality varies Inexpensive Highly collectible Liberty Seated Collectors Club
Liberty Seated Half Dollar References Liberty Seated Collectors Club
Thank you for your time! www. LSCCweb. org
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