Walter Breen
The story has been told many times and need only be briefly summarized here about how the Secession Convention of 1860 included a resolution that the mint at New Orleans should be taken into trust on behalf of the Southern Confederacy. At the end of February 1861 the actual transfer took place, the incumbent officials being confirmed in their offices by the Confederate government on swearing allegiance. These officials were William A. Elmore, Superintendent; A. J. Guirot, Treasurer; Howard Millspaugh, Assayer; M. F. Bonzano, M.D., melter and refiner. Bonzano remained on duty as a Union spy, transmitting reports to the Treasury Department; we assume that his oath of allegiance to the CSA was done with his fingers crossed behind his back, or else in the manner of Euripides: "My tongue an oath took, but my heart's unsworn."
In the meantime, there had been some 330,000 half dollars and 5,000 twenties struck from normal dies on behalf of the Union (through February 27, 1861). It is not known if the extant proofs (Beistle 2-C) were made then or later. In March 1861 some 1,240,000 half dollars and 9,750 double eagles were made on behalf of the State of Louisiana. In April 1861 some 962,633 half dollars and 2,991 double eagles were made on behalf of the CSA.
During the same month orders came from CSA Secretary Memminger to the mint to submit designs for a distinctive Confederate coin of half dollar design. That approved was the design hand-cut and letterpunched into a die blank by A.H.M. Patterson, local engraver and diesinker (there naturally being no engraver at the New Orleans Mint), who was still living as late as April 1879 in Commercial Place, New Orleans. The die suffered the usual defect of too high relief so that the central devices had difficulty in being brought up by a single blow with available equipment. Conrad Schmidt, foreman of the coining room, also said to have survived into 1879, prepared the die (with its accompanying obverse of regular design, Beistle 5) for the coining press, burnishing both dies. Four proofs were struck on a hand press, the obverse die having cracked from rim to bridge of nose close to seventh star and more faintly elsewhere (foot to border and through various stars). These proofs were presented to appropriate officials at detailed below. The project was probably at first suspended pending Memminger's approval, then tabled while more regular half dollars were made (of Union design - Beistle 5-D and probably many other varieties). Instead of orders to go ahead with the coinage of more Confederate halves, Memminger sent a ukase suspending all operations at the mint because of anticipated difficulty in obtaining further bullion, and the mint closed April 30, 1861. There was a considerable amount of un coined gold and silver bullion still on hand; this was taken over by CSA authorities. Dr. Bonzano stood guard at the mint until
Union forces captured New Orleans, but even then was unable to prevent vandalism by those same troops. B. F. Taylor, M. D., Chief Coiner, had taken the die and one of the four proofs with him, and its subsequent history is given below. It is probable that any issue of Confederate half dollars would have been very limited owing to difficulty in multiplying dies, appropriate facilities not being available locally.
Union forces captured New Orleans, but even then was unable to prevent vandalism by those same troops. B. F. Taylor, M. D., Chief Coiner, had taken the die and one of the four proofs with him, and its subsequent history is given below. It is probable that any issue of Confederate half dollars would have been very limited owing to difficulty in multiplying dies, appropriate facilities not being available locally.
Of the four original Confederate proof halves the history follows:
1. New Orleans Mint, Chief Coiner B. F. Taylor (with the die), to E. Mason, Jr. 1879, to J. W. Scott (who used the die to make his restrikes - see below), offered repeatedly at auction but always protected and retained by Scott, finally sold to J. Sanford Saltus for $3,000. Saltus presented it to the ANS museum, where it remains. Choice toned proof. Perfect edge reeding. No rust on reverse die, no flattening on leaves or other details. Odd bulge with incuse marks within white stripes of shield.
2. N. O. Mint to Professor Biddle of Tulane University. Transmitted to Biddle's descendants with other coins of the period. This, rather than either of the two following, is believed to be the piece brought in by a noncollector to a New Orleans coin dealer with a large assortment of (mostly common) coins of the Civil War period and earlier, tarnished black but undamaged. The dealer paid little attention to it and swears he did not even turn the piece over, not thinking of Confederate coins at the time; but when he got around to classifying the coins after buying the collection, dipping the blackened silver pieces in order to see the date and mintmarks, he found not only that he had a Confederate half dollar but that it showed good edge reeding and no obverse flattening. Lester Merkin bought it from him on a flying trip. I have examined it; it is better than EF, obviously former proof, and on comparison with the ANS coin shows all the peculiarities of the former. Its weight is about two grains less, which is insignificant. Henry Grunthal disbelieved it at the start, but when I brought it back for rechecking, various curatorial officials (in Grunthal's absence) agreed with me that the coin was a good struck piece from the same dies as ANS's obviously authentic one. It is here described and illustrated for the first time.
3. New Orleans Mint to Dr. E. Ames of New Orleans, to his son; mentioned (without name) in Dr. B. F. Taylor's letter of April 7, 1879: "in the possession of a Confederate Officer of this city, who transmits it to his son as a souvenir of his father's services in the Confederate cause." (This letter, to Han. Marcus J. Wright of the Adjutant General's Office, War Dept., appeared first in the New Orleans Picayune, April 9, 1879, and is reproduced in G. G. Evans's Illustrated History of the U.S. Mint, 1885, 1888 and later editions, as well as in Beistle, 253ff.) This is apparently the "worn" specimen known in 1923 to David Proskey, per Proskey's letter to Beistle, September 25, 1923, reproduced in Beistle, 254ff. Its intervening owners are not known, but it was during the 20th century owned by H. O. Granberg, William H. Woodin, Waldo Newcomer, Burdette G. Johnson, thence to Eric P. Newman about 1940. Newman still has it. I examined it at the Central States convention in St. Louis, 1957. It is also EF, former proof. Identical traits to first two.
lt is barely possible that "Ames" and "Biddle" should be transposed in the last two coins.
4. New Orleans Mint to Jefferson Davis via Memminger. This coin was Davis's pocket piece, and was on his person when Union soldiers captured him (in woman's garments) and imprisoned him in Fortress Monroe. The Union soldiers confiscated it, presumably taking little cognizance of it being a rebel coin, and caring still less. As a pocket piece, it was probably already well worn. In Don Taxay's Counterfeit, Misstruck and Unofficial U.S. Coins the story is told that some vest pocket dealer brought the piece to a bleary-eyed John J. Ford at a convention, and Ford bought it as a restrike, promptly turning it over to Paul Franklin, only to receive the news that the coin was an original. This story now appears to have been oversimplified as in King Lear: "mar a curious tale in the telling" indeed, as the dealer is Theodore L. Schnur, who long ran a coin shop on West 44th Street in New York City, and Ford presumably would have known enough at the time to see, even through smoke and stupor, that the piece has an unusually bold obverse and no flattening of edge reeding. The coin later became the subject of acrimonious litigation, Schnur suing for an extremely high figure to recover the coin plus costs and damages. The case was later reportedly settled out of court.