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V3 2000 INDEX       E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 3, Number 25, June 18, 2000, Article 5

MAKING SENSE OF PATTERN LISTINGS

Michael Schmidt had this to say about one of the patterns mentioned in last week's issue "lot 293 -- Copper Pattern of 1/4 eagle 1803 sold to a Mr. Moses for $.10 (ten cents)"

"This is an interesting listing. Pollock makes no mention of a copper quarter eagle of 1803 and in Dr. Judd's book he says that there is no record of a copper 1803 quarter eagle except for the listing in the Adams-Woodin book."

The following is Andrew Pollack's take on it: "I get the impression that Judd thought AW-22 was actually the 1803 $2.50 KETTLE gaming token, and he seems to indicate that he was actually aware of some of these receiving the AW-22 attribution in catalogues. I'm not aware of any specific auction records wherein AW numbers have been assigned to KETTLE pieces.

Although I doubt Edgar Adams would have been deceived by a KETTLE token, it's possible that a mid-19th-century cataloguer might have been, especially if the token had been altered by removing the letters KETTLE. Hence, I presume Adams got his listing from an auction catalogue or a dealer's FPL.

I list the brass and silver KETTLE $2.50 in my book as P-8001 and 8010, respectively. Judd also mentions "copper gilt" KETTLE tokens.

I guess the question to resolve is "When did KETTLE tokens first appear?" If they were produced prior to 1859, then the listing can probably be safely attributed to them. Unfortunately, since my numismatic library is still in storage in NH, I can't do any checking."

The reference to Kettle tokens sent me scurrying to my library to find L. B. Fauver's 1981 book, "Exonomia Symbolism & Classification": "The Kettle firm was begun during the 1780s by Henry Kettle, and his sons Thomas and William joined the firm sometime probably shortly after 1800. Thomas Kettle took over responsibilities about 1812 and continued to run the business until at least the late 1830's...

The vast majority of Kettle pieces served as counters... their great similarity in both design and size to contemporary gold guineas, gold half guineas, gold one-third guineas, and to American gold quarter eagle and gold half eagles." (pp v-vi)

Wayne Homren, Editor

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