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The E-Sylum: Volume 17, Number 22, May 25, 2014, Article 14

QUERY: WHERE IS THE NEW ENGLAND STIVER?

Bob Van Arsdell writes:

The recent celebrations for Eric Newman have reminded me of an old episode from the late 1970s. I met a New Jersey vest pocket dealer named Dave Dokus, who owned the "New England Stiver". I saw the "Stiver" first hand.

The story was that Eric Newman had asked to see the coin, and had judged it to be a fantasy piece - evidently something having to do with the fabric of the flan. Yeoman was contacted, and the piece was eventually deleted from the Red Book.

The coin was from the Parmalee collection, was published by Crosby, and appeared in the first edition of the Red Book. A note "It is possible that this is a fantasy coin." was added to the listing in 1967 and in 1972, the listing was dropped entirely without further comment.

Although I'm not knowledgeable about the series, I don't recall ever seeing a formal condemnation of the piece. It seems a pity that such a potentially important object should simply disappear from the numismatic record without a publication recording the details.

Darn good question! I recall the name "New England Stiver" from earlier numismatic readings, but that's all. I couldn't find much on the Internet. Below is an excerpt from Volume 31 of the Quarterly Journal of Economics, which cites as a source "Historical Magazine 5 1861 294 295 and Crosby 345 346" -Editor

The New England stiver is supposed to have originated in Holland to supply small change to Dutch merchants in New Amsterdam during the period of Dutch control 1623 64 and as in the case of the New Yorke token its circulation was probably very limited 2 A law supposedly directed in part against this token was passed by the Council and House of Representatives of Massachusetts March 21 1700 providing that in three months all tokens were to be redeemed at the highest rate for which they had passed and persons continuing to put out tokens were to be fined not exceeding 50 or be imprisoned not exceeding six months

To read the complete article, see: THE USE OF PRIVATE TOKENS FOR MONEY IN THE UNITED STATES (books.google.com/books?id=fzlEAAAAIAAJ&lpg=PA603&
ots=hGxZePSrf4&dq=%22New%20England%20Stiver%22&pg
=PA603#v=onepage&q=%22New%20England%20Stiver%22&f=false)

Here's what the Historical Magazine article (Volume 12) had to say, in turn drawing from the Mickley catalog and Dickeson's book. -Editor

The unique NEW ENGLAND STIVER, the following description of which, from Mr. Mickley's Catalogue, embraces all that is has been conjectured concerning it:

"Obverse NEW ENGLAND. M. Reverse 1 S.V.C. Two lions, rudely executed, to Right and Left, in field of the coin. See Dickeson Plate XX No 14.

No one acquainted with the coins of Holland can hesitate for a moment as to the origin this: it differs in no respect in its general, in its general appearance and particular style of workmanship from the Dutch Stiver of Two hundred ago."

To read the complete article, see: COIN AND COIN COLLECTORS - THE MICKLEY COLLECTION (books.google.com/books?id=_qs_AQAAMAAJ&lpg=PA114&ot
s=AL2fPCJ9a8&dq=%22New%20England%20Stiver%22&
pg=PA114#v=onepage&q=%22New%20England%20Stiver%22&f=false)

A Collector's Universe discussion thread from June 2010 discusses the 1890 Parmelee sale and quotes the following lot description. -Editor

ParmeleePlate1 Lot 349 Lot 349: New England; Stiver; two lions or skins...believed to be unique; copper; very good (Crosby, p. 347, pl. VIII, No. 13); We think this token is of native manufacture and not Dutch, as Mr. Crosby suggests; as the workmanship, letters, &c. are in no way like the Dutch work, but strongly resemble the crude engraving of the Pine-tree money makers.

To read the discussion thread, see: Numismatic History - Lorin G. Parmelee (forums.collectors.com/messagepost.cfm?postaction=reply&catid=26&threadid=778334&messid=9803459
&STARTPAGE=3&ezquote=y&parentid=9803459)

So - who can help? Where did this coin travel, and does anyone know where it is today? -Editor

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Wayne Homren, Editor

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