The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-08-10
RARE SOUTHERN COIN.


Philadelphia Turned Out Confederate
Dies-Pieces Very Scarce.
The commission which has just COM
pleted the counting of Superintendent Bos-
byshelps millions in the Mint in this city.
in examining the curious coins in the Mint
museum, came across 1.cent piece with
rare history. 1t is coin struck from the
only complete dies made for the coming of
money for the late Confederate Govern
ment, and these dies were made In Phila-
delphia in 1861.
Investigation discloses the fact that the
only part of these dies is in the possession
Of J. Calvin Randall, the coin collector, of
this city. There were only eighty-six pieces
struck from the dies, after which they were
defaced. The story of this coin is quite in
teresting. The dies were made by Mr..
Lovett, in Philadelphia, who says that they
were ordered in 1861 from the South, and
were to be for one cent copper coins.
After manufacturing the dies he was not
able 10 get them out OF the city, and becom-
ing alarmed, hid them awav after striking
off twelve nickel pieces. No one except
himself knew of the existence of either dies
or coins until 1873. when Mr.. Randall and
John W. HaZeltine discovered their exist
ence by accident
Mr.. LOvett had been carrying one of the
pieces as pOcket-piece, and one evening,
by an oversight, passed it in a restaurant.
The proprietor, knowing Mr.. Hazeltne as a
collector. sent the piece to him. The latter,
recognizing the head of Liberty as Mr.. Low
ett's work. succeeded Jointly with Mr.. Ran
dali in negotiating the purchase of the dies.
The two gentlemen then agreed to strike
off fifty-fye pieces in copper, twelve in sill
yer and seven in gold. This accomplished
they mutilated the dies and held the struck
coins for sale TO collectors. The following
is description of the coins:
Diverse, 1861; head of Liberty; inscrip-
tiOn, Confederate States of America; re-
verse, wreath of ears of corn and wheat
with cotton bale at the bottom; in the
center the words '1 cent" The restrikes
were struck by Peter l.. krider. 61S Chest
nut street.
This was the only coinage ever contem-
plated by direct authority of the Confeder-
ate Government, and the original nickel
pennies and the restruck pennies are now
very valuable. In 1874. when Messrs. Ram
dali and Ilazeltine offered them for sale to
collectors, they asked $50 each for the gold,
S15 for the silver, S4 for the copper and $50
for the nickel coins, they having bought
from Lovett what he had last struck in
1861 The coins are now very rare and are
worth a great deal more than the prices
asked in 1874.
The only other coin issued in the South
during the war was half dollar. This
was coined at the United States Mint at
New Orleans in 1861, and for its diverse the
United States die for the half dollar was
used. being a seated figure of Liberty
the reverse die was cut, whose
design consisted of shield surmounted
by liberty cap and surrounded
by cotton and sugar-cane wreath.
The legend was: Confederate States of
America. Half Dol" number of these
were afterward restruck. and the die de-
stroyed. Single pieces have been sold for
S25.-Philadelphia Record.