POSTAGE CURRENCY PATTERN SOUGHT Público Deposited
The E-Sylum: Volume 5, Number 38, September 22, 2002, Article 6
POSTAGE CURRENCY PATTERN SOUGHT
David Cassel, researcher and author of "United States Pattern
Postage Currency Coins", is seeking the owner of Stack's
Bareford1863 Postage Currency 10 cent pattern that was
recently auctioned by Stack's on September 10, 2002 as
lot 566.He writes: "A coin that I had long believed to be a
mis-attribution is from Stack's Harold Bareford Collection,
October 1981, lot 286. This was the cataloging by Stack's:
"1863 Postage Currency. J.325a. Silver. Plain edge. Thin
Planchet. 24 1/2 grains." If the coin was silver, J-325, and
the weight indeed was 24.5 grains, then this coin was a
previously unknown weight for this silver coin.The attribution that was in conflict with my research work
was that Postage Currency 10 cent coins of 24.5 grains do
exist, but, the coins are not silver. They are either tin alloy
or they are billon.The coin finally emerged from obscurity after twenty-one years
as Lot 566 in Stack's September 2002 catalog. What I needed
to confirm my belief was a weight computation and a SEM-EDX
test. A Specific Gravity test would have also been valuable. I
contacted Stack's asking to borrow the raw coin for 24 hours
so that I could perform a SEM-EDX analysis (at my expense)
and have the coin's weight verified and either confirm or
disaffirm the prior attribution. I was unsuccessful in reaching an
accommodation with Stack's prior to the auction.If per chance the buyer of this coin reads this, please contact me
at DavCassel at aol.com so that we can arrange to have your
coin scientifically tested at my expense."- 2002-09-22
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