The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-23
A FAMOUS SOUTHERN COIN.
A Confederate Half Dollar the Only
One in known Existence.

Confederate Half Dollar the only
One in known Existence.
From the New York Tribune.
OF the four celebrated Confederate half
dollars of 1S61-pracucally the only coins
of the Confederacy-no more than one is
now known TO be in existence, and that Is
in the possession of J. W. Scott, the we'll
known coin dealer of this city. He values
1t at 81, ESQ. The diverse side of the coin
Is the same as that of the silver half-dol-
lars of the regular mint series of that
time, with the Goddess of Liberty seated,
and the date, 1861 beneath. The distinc-
tive feature is the reverse side, for which
a new die was struck. In the center is
a Shield bearing the stars and bars of
the Confederacy. The numbers of stars
in the field-seven-represe the seven
states which seeded before the Inaugural
ton of Lincoln, March 1, 1861. A liberty
pole is thrust through the shield, and
bears on its tip a liberty cap Twined
around the shield, in the form of a wreath
are a stalk OF sugar cane and stalk Of cot
ton. Above these devices are the words.
Confederate States of America" and be-
low them the denomination of the coin
Half Dol"
counterparts is interesting. In February
1861, the United States mint at New Or
leans fell into Confederate hands. The
Confederate government. then seated in
Montgomery, Ala, decided to have some
new dies made and to start a coinage Of
its own al the mint. It was determined to
begin the series with the silver half-dollar
In April Mr.. Memminger, the Secretary Of
the Treasury of the Confederacy, having
issued a call for designs, selected the one
above described. The die was made bv
A. H. Peterson of New Orleans and four
coins were struck as specimen pieces. IN
der the direction OF Or. B. F. Taylor,
chief coiner for the Confederate States Of
America but the Southern government
tnen found that, owing to a total lack OF
silver bullion, it was one think to make
four specimen coins and quite another to
issue the money in quantities. The idea
was abandoned, and on April 30, 1861. the
mint closed, only a few days after the
sample pieces had been made. The four
COINS were distributed to persons who
them.
One was sent to the government. one TO
Prof. Riddell of the University of Louisi-
ana, one to DR.. e. Ames of New Orleans
ana the fourth together with the die. was
kept by Or. Taylor, who had charge of
the mint when it was struck This is the
coin which is now in this city. About the
year 1879 DR.. Taylor sold the coin and tho
die to Mr. Scott. The latter. in turn. dis
posed of the coin three or four years af-
terWard, at public auction in New York.
Tor $50 Ten years ago the collection of
which it formed a part was offered for
sale; Mr.. Scott bought the rare old niece
back, and has owned it ever since
one OF the other coins-probably that
which was sent to the Confederate govern
ment in 1S6l-came into the possession of
Jefferson Davis. After the war Mr.. scott
wrote to Mr.. Davis, asking him If he sim
owned the piece. Mr.. Davis replied. in a
letter which Mr.. Scott still has. that the
coin was taken from him when he was
captured on May 10, 1865, together with
many other things which he owned. ana
that he had never heard of it afterward
Up to the present its whereabouts is not
known. Of the other two coins there Is no
definite trace, although one was reported
to be in New Orleans in 1882.