THE COUNTERSTAMPS OF DR. E. OSGOOD

Countermarked coins can provide unique insights into eras long ago, particularly the mid- to-late 1800's when this advertising practice was most prevalent. These pieces do not need to be common, even rare pieces can provide a clear window to the past. For instance, two very different coins are known with the countermark of a Dr. E. Osgood (Brunk O-134). The countermark DR. E. OSGOOD. / BANGOR ME. is on the reverse of a British George III silver 18 pence bank token of 1812; it was sold in Presidential Coin and Antique Co. Auction 82 (as lot 35) in June 2012.

There is also a single 1854 United States seated dime (arrows at date) known with just the DR. E. OSGOOD. countermark on the obverse. This latter piece was sold in an eBay auction in July 2017. The British 18 pence token is a highly unusual host for an advertising countermark. In the later part of the reign of George III the price of silver was high, and there was a shortage of silver coins available for circulation. The Bank of England sought to alleviate this problem by issuing tokens of both three shillings and 18 pence in 1811, and for subsequent years until 1816. The initial design of the 18 pence token featured a draped bust of George III in Roman armor on the obverse, but this was changed in 1812 to a design featuring a laureate head and truncated neck. Some changes were made to the reverse also. The token countermarked by Dr. Osgood is this second type.

For more information on the Token and Medal Society, see:
http://www.tokenandmedal.org/

To read TAMS Journals from 1961 through 2015 on the Newman Numismatic Portal, see:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/publisherdetail/515304

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