1861O Half Dollars Bill Bugert Where was this coin minted The New Orleans Branch Mint Images courtesy of Stacks Confederate Half Dollar Outline 1861Os Fact or Fiction Circa 1861 History in South ID: 531971
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Slide1
What you probably didn’t know about1861-O Half Dollars
Bill
BugertSlide2
Where was this coin minted?- The New Orleans Branch Mint!
Images courtesy of Stack’s
Confederate Half DollarSlide3
Outline1861-Os: Fact or Fiction
Circa 1861 History in South3 Minting Authorities
TimelineRandy Wiley’s 1861-O study
1861-O Die Marriages Union State of Louisiana
Confederate
States of America
Restrikes and Tokens
Fantasy Strikes
Wrap up
Page
3Slide4
1861-O Half Dollars are one of the most popular and collected Liberty Seated Half Dollar datesFact
No one can distinguish U.S., LA, or CSA 1861-O half dollarsFiction
The Confederate half dollar reverse die was too large for the steam press so the halves were struck with a screw pressFactCSA ran out of silver so they couldn’t mint any more Confederate half dollars
FictionCSA struck 1861-O half dollars are rareFictionMost U.S. 1861-O half dollars were stolen – that’s why they are so rare
Maybe!
Fact or FictionSlide5
The South in 1861New Orleans was the largest city in the SouthPopulation 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 LincolnState of LA seceded on January 22, 1861
2 federal buildings: Branch Mint and Customs HouseSlide6
1907 postcard
2013
New Orleans Branch Mint –
Then and now…Slide7
Who controlled the New Orleans Branch Mint?
New Orleans timeline, early 1861
1/22
LA
secedes
2/4
CSA
formed
3/11
CSA
Constitution
4/30
New Orleans
Mint closed
1/31
LA seizes
N.O. Mint
2/28
CSA controls
N.O. Mint
4/12
Fort Sumter
assault
4/28/62
New Orleans
city captured
Union State of LA CSA
30 days 29 days 62 days Slide8
3 Minting Authorities1861-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)Slide9
Award winning recognized expert on Liberty Seated Half Dollars and 1861-O half dollarsTwo articles published his findingsGobrecht Journal Issue 94, November 2005
Gobrecht Journal Issue 97, November 2006Lengthy analysisStudied three large hoards of 1861-Os
Linked all dies (next page)Suggested an average die lifeExploited known minting authority mintages and applied them to the linked diesExponentially increased interest in this date
Randy Wiley’s 1861-O StudySlide10
Recent research slightly adjusts LA and CSA mintagesSlide11
Union IssuesMinted in January 1861By far, the rarest of the
1861-O issues2 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. Slide12
6 die marriages (4 obverse/3 reverse dies)None rareNone especially interestingDistinguishable by die cracks, die lines, tiny lumps, and clashes
State of Louisiana IssuesSlide13
Most popular of the 3 minting authorities7 die marriages (4 obverse/4 reverse dies including genuine CSA half dollar)
Most popular easily identifiable die marriages
WB-102 WB-103 WB-104
Confederate (CSA) IssuesSlide14
4 Known
Struck in April 1861Distributed 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 LAHenry 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
Genuine Confederate Half DollarsSlide15
What happened to the die?Dr. B.F. Taylor owned it and sold it to NYC dealer J.W. Scott in 1879Scott used it for restrikes/tokens; defaced it, then MIA.
J. Sanford Saltus (1918) to Louisiana Historical Society?
Status of CSA DieSlide16
Made in 1879 by dealers J.W. Scott and David ProskeyFrom the purchased Confederate reverse die500 1861-O halves with reverse planed (lathed) off
Flattened obverseA few reverses were not planed off and overstruckUnderlying features faintly visibleExtremely rare
Confederate RestrikesSlide17
Flattened ObverseSlide18
Less than 6 known restrikes with CSA die crack
Identifying Genuine
vs.
Restrike CSA Half dollarsSlide19
Made in 1879 by NYC dealers Scott/ProskeyUsing purchased Confederate reverse die
Special obverse die500 white metal planchets (made for contingency)
Scott-
Proskey TokensSlide20
Very commonEasily located Quality variesInexpensiveHighly collectible
CSA Half Dollar Tokens and Fantasy MedalsSlide21
Liberty Seated Half Dollar ReferencesSlide22
www.LSCCweb.org
Thank you for your time!