1796 AR Medal Castorland, Original MS(PCGS#653)

The Summer 2022 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

2012

等级

MS62

价格

53,779

详细说明

1796 Castorland Medal, or Jeton. Original. Lecompte-195, W-9100. Silver. Reeded Edge. MS-62 (PCGS). 15.16 grams. Superior quality for the type, both sides reveal considerable semi-reflectivity in the fields as the medal dips into a light. Generally light silver-gray in appearance, yet with enhancing blushes of iridescent reddish-gold toning around the peripheries. Sharply defined overall with only wispy handling marks precluding a higher grade. The Castorland medals or jetons (or as Breen called them "demi ecu") are as enigmatic as they are rare. The original strikes in silver, as here, were probably struck to circulate among the denizens of the 630,000 acre parcel of upstate New York which French settlers founded in 1793. The settlers built a mill, a forge, and a canal and settled two villages, Castorville (now Castorland), and Carthage. The name itself, Castorland, is from the French "castor" or beaver, an example of which figures prominently in the medal's design. Nearly always seen in well-circulated condition, original Castorland pieces -- they have been restruck many times over the past two centuries -- have long been popular with collectors in America. We see these only occasionally, rarely in Mint State, and when offered the bidding is substantial. Provenance: Ex Jean Lecompte Collection. The plate medal in the 2007 edition of Monnaies et Jetons des Colonies Francaises. Click here for certification details from PCGS. Image with the PCGS TrueView logo is obtained from and is subject to a license agreement with Collectors Universe, Inc. and its divisions PCGS and PSA.