| Description |
1796 MEDAL Castorland Medal MS65 Brown NGC. Whitman-9140, R.5. 133.4 grains. 99% copper. The Castorland medals were struck at the Paris Mint near the end of the 18th century, and they are associated with the Castorville settlement (located in Upstate New York), about 65 miles north of present-day Utica, or 10 miles southeast of Carthage. The village still carries the name Castorland, meaning Land of the Beaver. A group of refugees, fleeing the violence of the French Revolution, founded the colony in 1792. The enigmatic reverse design shows a luxuriant, leaved maple tree with a tap and freely flowing maple sap, although in practice the tapping of maple trees occurred in the early spring before the return of leaves. Following the 1796 original strikes, the Paris Mint produced restrikes in the 19th and 20th centuries. This example is one of the earlier 19th century copper restrikes, and like the Eliasberg example, it appears to be triple-struck, with reflective fields and pristine light olive surfaces. The early restrikes, such as this piece, incorporate the original dies, the reverse with defects that include a bulge and crack at the S in PARENS. Modern restrikes are produced from copy dies. Ex: Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society.
Realized $2,820.00. Description courtesy of Heritage Auctions. |
