3006

1796 MEDAL Castorland Medal, Silver MS64 PCGS. Breen-1 1796[MEDAL] Castorland Medal, Silver MS64 PCG

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1796 MEDAL Castorland Medal, Silver MS64 PCGS. Breen-1 1796[MEDAL] Castorland Medal, Silver MS64 PCG
<B>1796<MEDAL> Castorland Medal, Silver MS64 PCGS.</B></I> Breen-1058. Reeded Edge. The line between original and restrike Castorland medals has always been confusing. Even experts disagree, notably Walter Breen and John Ford. Ford stated in a conversation in 1997 that originals do not have die rust on the reverse, are slightly convex, and the finest he knew of was a VF35. Breen, on the other hand, on page 106 of his <I>Complete Encyclopedia</B></I> states that originals have oldstyle lettering; on the obverse the A is below the M, 1 is embedded on a border bead. On the reverse, S is far below AL, M below AG, UG touch. Further, "all originals seen to date have traces of rust near vessel handle but no bulge at PARENS and no break at final S; restrikes from these dies show both failures in various states."<BR> This particular piece does indeed show die rust around the vessel handle; however, there is no perceptible bulging of the die in the center or around PARENS. The fields are notably reflective on each side with a few stray marks. The surfaces are toned medium gray with considerable underlying rose and lilac coloration. This is a high grade and very attractive example of a failed social experiment that resulted in the foundation of modern-day Carthage, New York.