1796 MEDAL Castorland Medal, Silver MS64 PCGS....

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Sold on Jan 7, 2010 for:

$12,075.00 Bid Source: Internet bidder

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Near-Gem Silver 1796 Castorland Medal
Original Dies, Reeded Edge

1796 MEDAL Castorland Medal, Silver MS64 PCGS. Ex: Troy Wiseman Collection. Breen-1058, W-9100, R.4. Reeded Edge. The line between original and restrike Castorland medals has always been confusing. Even experts disagree, notably Walter Breen and John Ford. Ford stated in a conversation in 1997 that originals do not have die rust on the reverse, are slightly convex, and the finest he knew of was a VF35. Breen, on the other hand, on page 106 of his Complete Encyclopedia states that originals have old style lettering; on the obverse the A is below the M, 1 is embedded on a border bead. On the reverse, S is far below AL, M below AG, UG touch. Further, "all originals seen to date have traces of rust near vessel handle but no bulge at PARENS and no break at final S; restrikes from these dies show both failures in various states."
This original dies example does indeed show die rust around the vessel handle; however, there is no perceptible bulging of the die in the center or around PARENS. The fields are notably reflective on each side with a few stray marks. The surfaces are toned medium gray with considerable underlying rose and lilac coloration. This is a high grade and very attractive example of a failed social experiment that resulted in the foundation of modern day Carthage, New York. Listed on page 73 of the 2010 Guide Book.
Ex: Troy Wiseman Collection (Heritage, 1/2007), lot 749, which realized $16,100.

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 2B69, PCGS# 653, Greysheet# 306)

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