Q.David Bowers
The 1861 Confederate States of America half dollar also has an interesting history. In February of that year the state of Louisiana turned over to the Confederate States of America the United States Mint at New Orleans which had come under control of the South. Dr. B. F. Taylor, chief coiner of the Confederate States of America Mint, related on April 7, 1879, the story of the Confederate half dollar coinage in response to a request made by Marcus J. Wright of the War Department in Washington:
Your favor requesting a statement of the history of the New Orleans Mint, in reference to the coinage under the Confederate Government, is received. That institution was turned over by the state of Louisiana, the last of February 1861, to the Confederate States of America, the old officers being retained and confirmed by the government; William A. Elmore, superintendent; A. J. Guyrot, treasurer; M. F. Bonzano, M.D., melter and refiner; and Howard Millspaugh, assayer. In the month of April orders were issued by Mr. Memminger, secretary of the Treasury, to the effect that designs for half dollars should be submitted to him for approval. Among several sent, the one approved bore on the obverse of the coin a representation of the Goddess of Liberty, surrounded by 13 stars, denoting the 13 states from which the Confederacy sprung, and on the lower rim the figures 1861. On the reverse there is a shield with seven stars, representing the seceding states; above the shield is a Liberty cap, and entwined around it stalks of sugar cane and cotton, "Confederate States of America.' '. The dies were engraved by A. H. M. Patterson, engraver J. W. Scott bought the die of the reverse of the Confederate half dollar, together with the Proof specimen of the only known Confederate half dollar, at that time, from E. B. Mason, Jr., of Philadelphia. The United States Government had seized the obverse as its property, and could have seized both sides, as at the close of the war in 1865 the U.S. government became the heir of the Confederacy.
Scott decided to strike impressions from his die, and he sent out circulars offering silver restrikes at $2 each, agreeing to have only 500 pieces struck. Preparing for this issue, Scott purchased 500 United States half dollars of New Orleans mintage and had the reverses drilled off. Then for fear that the die would break, a steel collar was affixed, and 500 impressions in white metal were struck in order to be able to supply something should the die go to pieces, but the die held intact even after the silver pieces were struck. Each of the latter obverses (Liberty seated) was placed on a blank of soft brass and then struck on a screw press. This helped to keep the obverse from flattening. The writer supervised the process so that the workers kept no specimens for souvenirs. The die was then softened and cut across, so that no more could be struck from the perfect die. The die now reposes in the collection of the Louisiana Historical Society, the gift of Mr. J. Sanford Saltus. A couple of brass impressions exist showing the ridge across. These are now in the collection of Mr. Elliott Smith, New York City.
When all were struck Scott sent out circulars with the coins to the subscribers offering to pay 50c each over the subscription price for the return of any of the pieces, stating as a reason "oversubscription," which was untrue. It was doubtful if over 250 were sold, as Scott had a plentiful sup-ply of them for over 30 years thereafter. He gradually raised the price to $15 each. The original Proof half dollar was several times placed in various auction sales, but always "bought in." Finally the writer sold it to Mr. J. Sanford Saltus for $3,000, who presented it to the American Numismatic Society.
Medals
Medals form a rich part of American numismatic history. Literally thousands of different varieties have been produced since the earliest colonial times. Mostly of private issue, medals describe a wide variety of persons, places, things, and events.
Prior to his death in 1887, C. Wyllys Betts, one of the most prominent numismatists of the late 19th century, compiled a listing of over 600 medals which saw publication posthumously in 1894 under the title American Colonial History Illustrated by Contemporary Medals. Betts divided the subject into the following categories: The Period of Discovery (1556-1631), The Period of Colonization (1632-1637), The Vernon Medals (1739-1741), American Proclamation Pieces of Ferdinand VI of Spain (1746-1747), The Period of Intercolonial Wars (1745-1763), American Proclamation Pieces of Charles III of Spain (1760-1761), From the Peace of Paris to the Revolution (1763-1775), The Period of the Revolutionary War (1775-1782), and The Independence of America Recognized (1782-1786).
Each medal in the Betts reference was assigned a number and given a description. For example, Betts-400 described a medal pertaining to the destruction of Kittanning by Col. Armstrong on September 8, 1756. The obverse depicts the arms of the City of Philadelphia. The reverse was described as:
Log cabin village in flames; to the right a river; in the foreground an officer accompanied by two men points to a soldier firing under cover of a tree; an Indian falling on the bank of the river at the right.
Kittanning was an Indian village on the Alleghany River, 45 miles from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, which was destroyed in the French and Indian War by Col. Armstrong of Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Each of the commissioned officers in the engagement received one of these medals in silver. The dies were made by Edward Duffield, a watch maker at Philadelphia, and are now in the United States Mint. Restrikes have been made in bronze.
Betts-614 describes a medal combining the reverse design of the 1776 Continental dollar with an obverse described as:
FELICITAS : BRITANNIA: ET : AMERICA (Literally, Happiness, Britain and America). In exergue, in two lines, MDCCLxxxiii I SEPt. 4. At the right Britannia seated, facing the left; by her side a shield with the crosses of St. George and St. Andrew; in her left hand is a spear, and her right is extended towards an Indian Queen, who is advancing with a bow in her right hand, and a quiver behind her back; between them flies a dove with an olive-branch; in the distance is a view of London, in which appear St. Paul's Cathedral and the Monument.
Certain tokens which have been incorporated into reference books listing early American coins and medals, the 1778-9 Rhode Island ship medal for example, were described in Betts.
In 1878 J. F. Loubat published The Medallic History of the United States of America, 1776-1876, which covered many medals of the period following the colonial era. Particularly significant are many United States Mint medals of the early 19th century, including numerous varieties depicting events of the War of 1812.
Throughout the 19th century private medals were struck on many occasions. The 1876 Centennial Exhibition held in Philadelphia furnished the occasion for hundreds of different issues ranging in size from tiny medalets to large productions measuring several inches in diameter. The 1889 centennial of Washington's inauguration, the 1892 400th anniversary of Columbus' arrival in America, and other events saw a rich outpouring of medallic art. The tradition has been continued to the present day.