(1689-1720) Coin balance scale and box by John Snart, London. Fine. Simply carved from a lightweight wood, darkly toned from years of handling, with a pleasant geometrical design on the lid. The eyehook closures are no longer present, but the hinge is in perfect working order. The inside has three carved spaces, one for the balance and pans, one for small weights on the left, and larger coin weights in the square space on the right. The balance is a little oxidized, the pans show a nice deep brassy gold patina, and some fairly old strings are intact and keep the whole thing in working order. The label is the truly interesting part, with a English royal coat of arms at center and an inscription naming "John Snart, Scale Maker ... in Maiden Lane Over Against Goldsmith's [Halll]" in London. A well researched record at the Five Colleges and Historic Deerfield Consortium places Snart at the end of the 17th century and the dawn of the 18th, making one of his English-made scales a prime target for a Pine Tree shilling or two. I like scales and have gotten to either handle or study a decent number of them, and this one is particularly early. A retained label like this is scarce. I wish it had a set of weights with it, but it would be a fun (and inexpensive) challenge to build a set of contemporary coin weights -- a merchant of the era would have done essentially the same thing. This would display well and could be the beginning of a new collection...Sold
Civil War Stirrup with Copper-Nickel Indian Cent Rowel
(ca. 1862) rider's stirrup with Indian cent rowel. Bronze, 5 1/2 inches long. Very Fine / As Found. The rowel is a copper nickel (1860-64) Indian Head cent, and plenty of detail remains on both sides. The spurs are clearly hand cut, while the stirrup itself is finely made, nicely patinated, shows a small decoration atop the rowel. This piece was found in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia; presumably the coin rowel was an emergency replacement for the original rowel, lost sometime during the war (or "the late unpleasantness," as one tour guide I once worked with at Monticello used to call it). I've handled a stirrup with a coin rowel before, a piece that was found out West and used a Seated quarter. This piece, with a coin datable to the Civil War and a provenance that suggests the same, should be desirable to an even wider range of collectors...Sold
(ca. 1806) American-used balance scale and box. Fine. A pretty typical late 18th century scale, probably of English manufacture for the English and American markets. The brass pans are marked DS in a crude cartouche, which should be able to be tracked down by someone resourceful. The pans and balance are in fine shape, a bit oxidized but none the worse for it. What makes this scale special are two pieces of paper glued in it, one a notice from some newspaper titled AMERICAN STANDARD OF MONEY, the other a note stuck inside the base of the box that reads "1/2 oz. 9 1/2 pwts." The newspaper notice reads, in full, "AMERICAN STANDARD OF MONEY, approved by act of Congress, April, 10, 1806 ... Gold ... Eagle, valued at ten dollars, must weigh 11 pennyweights, 6 grains ... Half Eagle, at five dollars, 5 do, 15 do. Quarter Eagle, at two dollars and fifty cents, 2 do 19 1/2 do. -- Silver ... Dollar must weigh 17 pennywts., 7 grs. Half dollar 8 do. 16 do. Quarter Dollars, 4 do, 4 do. French Crown at 1 doll. and ten cents. 18 do 17 do." With the reference to French ecus as the only non-US Mint coins noted, my best guess is that this piece comes from somewhere where French ecus made up a sizable part of the circulating medium, meaning St. Louis, New Orleans, or somewhere else in the lower Mississippi Valley. The manuscript note is an odd conversion, as a half ounce is actually 10 pennyweights, which begs the question of why this merchant was shaving off a half grain from every half ounce. A group of scale weights came with this when I bought it, but appear to be an unmatched later addition. Any kind of box scale from this era with a proveably American connection is scarce, and those with charts like this are more interesting and valuable than those that lack them. This one would add context to any early American gold coin collection...Sold
(ca. 1913) Two Guns White Calf stereoview. Photographic print on cardboard, 7" x 3.5". Extremely Fine. Stereoview cards were the original 3-D pictures, typically projected in a parlor setting or viewed on an individual stereoscope. This one shows the Blackfeet chief Two Guns White Calf, who claimed until his death in 1931 to have been one of the models for James Earle Fraser's Buffalo nickel. Bob Van Ryzin has written a good bit about the models for the nickel, and the controversy as to precisely which Indians were used as models by Fraser has never been settled. This card identifies Two Guns as "the Blackfeet Indian Chief Whose Profile Is on the Buffalo Nickel" and depicts the chief wearing an enormous Buffalo Nickel pendant. A fascinating piece of Buffalo nickel ephemera, a great accessory for an advanced nickel collection or for an educational exhibit...Sold
Rare US Coin Scale, Produced Before 1850
(ca. 1840s) Coin rocker / scale for U.S. eagles and half eagles. Brass, 5" long. Extremely Fine or better. Unsigned, but similar in style to the Allender-style coin rockers of the 1850s. This simple lever and fulcrum mechanism includes an integral counterweight and spaces for gold half eagles and eagles, along with slots to measure their thickness. This type is a dozen times rarer than the Allender models of 1851 (five coins) and 1855 (six coins). This piece is datable to before 1850 since it lacks the space for a double eagle, which would be a natural inclusion for any American coin rocker of that later era. Its compact size and attractive appearance make it an ideal display item...Sold
Fascinating and Substantial 8 Reales Clump from El Cazador, 1784
(1784) clump of 14 eight reales from the wreck of the El Cazador. As found. A rustic and oddly beautiful clump, a stable and nicely encrustrated tumbled stack of Mexican 8 reales, probably dated 1783. Little design is visible, but the coins are easily counted and readily identified. The El Cazador sank on its way to New Orleans just after the end of the American Revolution, and its salvage yielded a large haul of principally Mexico 8 reales, along with a quantity of minors. A number of small clumps like this hit the market, but most are either fairly crumbly or not terribly attractive. This one has a nice little underwater art look to it. While clumps are known in the marketplace from a variety of shipwrecks, the El Cazador is the only such wreck that has a close connection to early North America...Sold
Great Britain. 1873 Institute of British Architects medal. Silver, 57 mm. Choice Mint state. In blue velvet and gilt-stamped blue satin leather box of issue. This type dates to 1836, though this exact specimen was presented in 1873 to Alexander H. Kersey for "drawings of St. Mary's Abbey, Malton, Yorkshire." Kersey kept this in such nice shape that the original pencil guidelines for the place where his name was to be engraved are still present! None but the most minor lines or evidence of handling is present. I would never say a piece has never been cleaned, but this piece has never been cleaned. Normally I wouldn''t buy a late 19th century architectural award medal, even one with attractive dies by Benjamin Wyon, but this piece has some of the most beautiful toning over deeply reflective surfaces I've ever seen on any medal. A truly magnificently toned gem piece...Sold
1910 Society of Model Engineers medal. Silver, 47 mm. About Uncirculated. English or American. Apparently issued as a prize from a model railroading club. The obverse presents a geek-fest of instruments, seemingly the contents of some nerdy kid's dream bedroom: a globe, a microscope against a stylized star-strewn sky, cogs and steam and a science textbook and more. Both sides have a somewhat matte finish, as struck, with faint golden toning. I presume the obverse is a stock die of the era, as it doesn't seem to have much to do with railroading; the reverse die is a stock award die that has been hand lettered. Eye-catching and cool, not something we've seen a duplicate of...Sold
Remarkable 1876 Centennial Seated Liberty Coin Bank
1876-dated coin bank. Tin, 3" tall, 3" in diameter. Fine or so. Painted in the form of a colonial drum with images of both sides of a Seated Liberty coin dated 1876. Lid and base are orange/red, steel gray sides show remnants of their metallic finish. The word "Old" has been carefully written atop the coin slot, seemingly close to the time of manufacture. Obviously well handled, but the numismatic imagery remains bold. I assume this toy bank was issued to mark the 1876 Centennial, perhaps it was even marketed at the Centennial Exposition. I've seen one other example of this bank; this one is a bit less dinged up. This would be a neat association piece for a Seated Liberty collection (think of how many Seated dimes you could fit in this thing!). It is empty, sorry...Sold
(ca. 1851-53) John Allender counterfeit detector. Brass, 8" long. About Uncirculated. A classic rocker counterfeit coin detector scale. A single piece of brass contains five slots, carefully machined to the exact size of each of the following denominations: TEN DOL., TWENTY DOL., FIVE DOL., TWO & HALF DOL., and ONE DOL. at the narrowest tip. Slots in the middle of each circular gap are machined to barely allow a coin of proper thickness. A small weight (now lost, as in 99% of rocker scales seen) would have once fit into the dollar slot to act as a counterbalance against the eagle and double eagle denominations on the other side of the fulcrum. A very simple but useful little machine, one that would successfully detect counterfeit gold coins that were the wrong weight, diameter, or thickness -- which honestly was most of them in the era. This one still shows some lustre on its natural brass surfaces, which are dusty and dirty as found. This model is stamped J. ALLENDER / PATENT PENDING, which, together with the absence of a $3 slot, allows us to date this fairly precisely. This is about equally scarce with the 1854 and after model with the extra slot for a $3 gold piece, but this one has always reminded me more of the beginnings of the Gold Rush and the birth of the double eagle denomination. This sturdy item could certainly have survived in that rough-and-tumble world; perhaps it did. Today, it makes a fine addition to a gold coin collection and a much cooler paperweight than whatever you're using now...Sold
Pocket Schedule from the World Champion 1920 Cleveland Indians
(1920) Cleveland Indians Home Pocket Schedule. Tinned brass, 50 mm. Choice About Uncirculated. Struck by Robbins Co, Attleboro, Mass. "Compliments of Ideal Tire Co." on the reverse. One of the coolest 20th century medallic items I've handled, issued before the Cleveland Indians' World Series-winning 1920 season. The toning on the reverse is a little mottled and there is some old encrustation around the inscription, but this piece is attractive, charming, and well-preserved. After their home opener at Dunn Field on April 14 against the St. Louis Browns of George Sisler, the Indians went on to win 98 games in the regular season and the World Series against the Brooklyn Robins. Jim Bagby got credit for 30 wins, Tris Speaker hit .388 and led the league with 50 doubles. The season, aside from the World Series, is probably best remembered for the death of shortstop Ray Chapman after getting hit by a pitch, the last death from a gametime injury in Major League Baseball. This is a cool, historic, rare item, and I'm sure plenty of baseball fans outside of Cleveland would love to own it...Sold
(1810) Spain / Colonies Two Reales portrait master die. Steel, 62 mm tall, 56 mm across the octagonal face from side to side. Stamped three times on its face, 1810 with the Candiz mintmark at top, the portrait of Ferdinand VII to be stamped into working hubs to create dies for two reales at center, and the engraver’s F.(elix) SAGAU F(ecit). Lightly oxidized across the once polished face, but smooth and free from corrosion. The rough hewn base probably looks about like it did when new, if slightly more oxidized now. The whole tool is undamaged and the fine details are very sharp. It would take nothing more than a little polishing to put this master die right back into production. The portrait is incuse on this tool; it would be used to produce the hub from which working dies would be created.Mint artifacts – from Europe or elsewhere – are very rare from this period. The number of coining dies that survive from the first quarter of the 19th century is small (though medal dies seems somewhat more numerous). A similar artifact, a portrait master die for a ˝ real of Carlos IV, was recently found in Guatemala and sold in Sedwick Treasure Auction #7 in April 2010. This may have been from the same cache, though it was purchased in a Spanish auction. These portrait puncheons were produced from a single master punch so as to standardize the portrait on all coins of the same denomination from every Spanish mint, both mainland and colonial. This master die could have been used in any of those mints. This would be a dramatic and educational addition to a collection of two reales, or any other coins of the 18th or 19th centuries that would have used similar hubbing technology – anything from Connecticut coppers to Bust halves. Its size and heft gives it the in hand feel of a substantial paperweight...Sold
(ca. 1870-90) German medal. Silver, 45 mm. About Uncirculated. It has bunnies on it. I have no idea aside from that. Dark silver on the obverse, reflective pale gold toning on the light gray reverse. Bunnies. People love them...Sold
Large Ephraim Brasher Spoon with Oval EB Mark
The Same Stamp as on the Brasher Doubloons
(ca. 1787) Serving spoon by Ephraim Brasher, New York. Twice-marked with EB in oval, the same marked used on the famous Brasher doubloon. 9 1/4" long. Fine or better. A well used spoon, showing some tip wear and a very old, period repair across the stem about two-thirds the way from the bowl to the end. Such repairs were commonplace, indeed, silversmiths depended upon repairs as a substantial part of their business. Attractive bright cut decoration is present on the stem, incorporating the initials JEH (John Eager Howard? Might be nice) into an oval frame. The back of the stem shows two EB marks in an oval cartouche, the most desirable of all the various Brasher marks for a numismatist. Both are crisply punched and little worn. This spoon could use a light polishing (spoons, unlike coins, were meant to be polished at the time of their issue and are thus meant to be polished by collectors today), but it presents a very attractive appearance. Brasher produced a lot of silverware, from spoons to full tea sets to church silver, but those with this mark are actually quite scarce. Most of us will never own one of Brasher's gold coins, but owning this spoon is a nice substitute. And you can't use a doubloon to eat your cereal...Sold
(ca. last quarter of the 18th century) Tenant's Pass to the Bedford Estate, London. Copper, 31 mm. Mitchiner (Jetons, Medalets, and Tokens, British Isles Circa 1558 to 1830, Volume Three), page 1868. Choice Very Fine. Reverse engraved 330. The obverse depicts the arms of the Duke of Bedford with the motto CHE SERA SERA. The blank reverse is usually found engraved with a number; the highest cited by Mitchiner is 780 among the nine specimens he found recorded. These passes allowed those who lived on the Duke's estate in London to access the scenic gardens and grounds -- not just any riffraff would be allowed in. Today, these fascinating relics of 18th century London are rare...Sold