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Sacramento,CA - 1847 - Polhemus, J. L. Counter Marked Coin :

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:7,500.00 USD Estimated At:15,000.00 - 17,500.00 USD
Sacramento,CA - 1847 - Polhemus, J. L. Counter Marked Coin :
1847-O seated 50c piece. PCGS certified from the wreck of the SS Central America. Pale, silver, grey with even moderate corrosion that allows most of the details to remain bold. This half dollar and an 1855-S $20 are the only Polhemus counter marks found aboard the Ship of Gold. Only one other counter mark appeared among the SS Central America treasure, a gold piece marked by dentist and assayer W.W. Light. J.L. Polhemus was the most famous Sacramento gold rush counter stamp.
Polhemus counterstamps on U.S. coins have long been known. Virtually every denomination of pocket change was stamped by Polhemus for use as money and doubling as a store card in the 1850s. The Polhemus counterstamped minor coinage pieces are still found today every now and then by token hunters and metal detector enthusiasts. The tie of this Polhemus counterstamp to the SS Central America is exceptionally important. Polhemus started his drug store near the Magnolia Saloon in August 1850. By then end of that year the drug store was more conveniently located on the main street, which was “J” Street. Polhemus died in 1866 but his wife continued to run the store in to the 1870’s until selling to a third party. The Polhemus- Central America counterstamp was the only minor change with the Polhemus punch found on the SS Central America. Today there are perhaps a dozen known quarters and perhaps an equal number of dimes known with the Polhemus counterstamp. There are far few larger denomination coins.