1870-S QUARTER CAUTION URGED Public Deposited
The E-Sylum: Volume 7, Number 15, April 11, 2004, Article 6
1870-S QUARTER CAUTION URGED
Alan Luedeking writes: "Regarding the piece on the supposed
1870-S quarter in the San Francisco mint building's cornerstone,
I cannot but urge caution. Nowhere in the warrant itself or in
the other official documents reproduced in the Coin World
article does it specifically state the date on the coins. It is clear
that coins were purchased for inclusion in the cornerstone in
1870 and in the denominations and amounts listed, however,
the assertion that the quarter must be an 1870-S is nowhere
conclusively proven. It may well be that the mint supplied an
1869-S quarter, that being the last year they were officially
made. The contemporary newspaper article suggesting that
coins were "struck off" that year for the cornerstone is in itself
not conclusive proof, since it is not an official document, nor
does it specifically state that the dies used to strike these coins
were dated 1870; however, I grant that the likelihood of this
is increased by these documents. The existence of dollar coins
dated 1870-S for which no production records have thus far
come to light is also encouraging in suggesting that the same
possibility may exist for the quarter. However, unless the
authors have other incontrovertible documentary proof, I
respectfully suggest that the truth must await the actual
exhumation of the bronze casket and its delightful contents."- 2004-04-11
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