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V17 2014 INDEX       E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 17, Number 35, August 24, 2014, Article 14

QUERY: WHAT IS THIS MORGAN DOLLAR ITEM?

Web site visitor Heather of Parkersburg, WV forwarded images of an unusual item with a Morgan dollar design. Does anyone recognize what this is? -Editor

Morgan dollar mold

Heather writes:

I was born and raised in Shinnston, WV where my family first settled before the Revolutionary war. These were found in a box with papers dating from the late 1800's (my great great Aunt's belongings). I am not sure what they are. The engraved parts seem to be copper or brass embedded in tin or lead. I am just looking to identify what they might be.

It looks that each one is 36-37 mm. I would say it is the size of a silver dollar, but I haven't seen one of these before. It seems to have some type of wax on it, too. I didn't clean it as I wasn't sure if I should.

I would be very grateful if you published this in your newsletter, maybe someone will know what it is! My family has lived here since the 1650's, so it is hard to tell where it came from. They kept everything, I have deeds dating back to the 1700's. There is so much stuff, it is taking some time to get through it all. We keep finding these small treasures and want to know more about them.

Morgan dollar mold obverse Morgan dollar mold reverse

Given the size and wax coating, these seem to me to be two halves of a mold for making contemporary counterfeit silver dollars, perhaps in lead. What do readers think? There is a book on counterfeit half dollars (Keith Davignon's   Contemporary Counterfeit Capped Bust Half Dollars, 1996), but I'm not aware of any work on counterfeit dollars. -Editor


Wayne Homren, Editor

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To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com

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