I noticed that there's some question as to who may have issued the EVERMAN counterstamp. Whenever I'm trying to attribute a counterstamp, Philadelphia, Boston and New York City tend to be the first places I explore. In the case of Everman, I didn't go beyond Philadelphia to find a likely suspect.

I found a jeweler by the name of Charles Everman who appears in Boyd's 1859-60 Lancaster County, PA directory, page 79. Charles is listed therein as a "jeweller" (sic), "h W. Chestnut n Mulberry."

IMHO, this Charles is a very probable issuer. Charles was likely living at the West Chestnut address in 1858-59; this, when the directory listings were being physically compiled. This listing logically coincides with the 1850's era dates of the EVERMAN host coins. Then too, Philadelphia was a center of counterstamping activity, and the small letter size of the EVERMAN counterstamp is certainly well suited to the use of a jeweler's occupation. Of course, more concrete evidence is needed to support a positive attribution.

I've been corresponding with Greg Brunk, relative to counterstamp listings in his forthcoming third edition. With regard to the EVERMAN counterstamp, Greg notes that this surname was fairly common. One of the stamps exists on a $50 gold slug, so Everman could have been a Californian. Regardless, I personally favor Charles Everman as a probable issuer; especially so, given his jeweler's trade, location and the era. He fits the profile that one might expect. Everman disappears from the Philadelphia area directories after 1859-60. Might he have traveled to California? Just a thought.

One of the fun aspects of collecting counterstamps is conjecturing about their history, their purpose. I'd offer the possibility, mind you, that Everman, whoever he was, may have stamped the few known Bust Halves and gold pieces known with his mark in order to identify his cache should it be stolen. These pieces may have been stored for future use in his trade; perhaps, intended for the melting pot. I personally doubt that word-of-mouth advertising was the reason these higher denomination pieces were stamped ... My two cents on this issue.

I'll be doing a bit more searching, but meanwhile, Charles is my odds-on favorite ...