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East Coast silversmiths were more dignified in their response to the Bryan plan. They commented directly on the silver value of the U.S. silver dollars. The size in comparison to what a silver dollar wouls be if it contained a full dollar of silver. Some have a cartwheel on one side in the size of an actual silver dollar to make the comparison more immediately obvious. Mine is blank. 52mm Schornstein 7, Zerbe 6 These silver pieces are also collected as so-called dollars. The piece pictured here is listed as Hibler & Kappen 781 This piece is in a large NGC slab. I need to work on making a better photograph.

Agreed that the details are more complex than in my cursory summary. I tried to keep it simple primarily to explain the "16 to 1-Nit." It relates to that original dollar edge inscription or Unit. Bryan and free silver proponents argued that it was the founders' original intent that the silver dollar be the "unit" of American money and hence the edge inscription. I believe the "Crime of 1873" was a reaction to the widening balance between the value of gold and silver and the impact it had on the supply of circulating coins. The Republican response to the free coinage of silver was to tie it to an international agreement to adopt bimetallism and fix the prices of the two metals. Other items that I will include in my new collecting topic are things like Bickford dollars: Dana Bickford proposed creating an international coinage that would save the US government the expenses of recoining foreign coins that came into the country and ease the complexities of money and travel for US citizens. The brass center plug reads, REPUBLICAN DOLLAR INTERNAT'L. It would be gold in an actual currency. The outer ring, aluminum on his medals would be silver in the actual coins. The obverse inscription reads, "This combination coin will when adopted be good in all nations, heal all differences between Gold & Silver men and fully settle all financial questions. Approved by all good businessmen." The mound at the bottom is inscribed, "Gold and Silver." The reverse states, "Here is shown the value of our dollar in the coin of different nations of the world." The eight links read, "Sterling 4.2 Francs 5.20 Kronen 3.80 Gulden 2.8 Marken 4.16 Guilder 2.50 Rouble 9.65 Yen 1.1." The inner ring reads, "Invented and Protected by Dana Bickford." Congress failed to act on Bickford's plan. It was so simple. Go figure.

My latest collecting interest is Bryan Money and other related tokens and medals covering the politics in the wake of the "Crime of 1873." Congress demonetized silver indirectly by eliminating the silver dollar coin and making the gold dollar the nation's standard unit of value. The specifications for minor silver coinage was set in the statutes. A five year depression followed and silver interests urged a return to bimetallism. The 1878 Bland-Allison Act called for expanding silver coinage, but did not restore silver to the same status as gold. Economic problems followed again in 1884 and the 1890 Sherman Silver Purchase Act again failed to restore silver to the same status as gold. More deflation followed as well as the Panic of 1893. Bryan called for the free coinage of silver and gold at the ratio of 16 to 1. The ratio goes back to the founding of the nation and the establishment of the first US coins. The 1794 to 1803 silver dollars carried the edge inscription, HUNDRED CENTS ONE DOLLAR OR UNIT. Of course the ratio of the value of silver to gold changed over time. Free coinage of silver according to the Republican Party meant one could could take 53 cents of silver to the mint and get a dollar in exchange. It was okay for the government to make that profit because the guaranteed the silver with gold, but it was not okay for silver interest to make that profit. Okay, that is an over simplification of the political battles, but it sets the general stage for the political pieces. William Jennings Bryan ran for president on the Democratic ticket in 1896 and 1900 calling for the free coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 to 1. Most of the satirical pieces noted the size that a silver dollar would have to be if it were minted at a ratio that reflected its actual value in relation to gold. Most pieces are "dollars" or dimes ("One Dam"). Some are struck in good silver, most are cast to various blends of pot metal, often the spent type from printing, hence the term "type metal." The first piece here was produced by L. H. Moise in San Francisco. I collect tokens and medals produced by Moise, so it is naturally the first piece for this thread. Zerbe and Schornstein refers to the two standard catalogs for the series. There is not much difference between the two except that Zerbe's appeared in a 1926 issue of the Numismatist and leter reprints had become hard to find. The Schornstein book was published by the Token and Medal Society in 2001, has better images, is readily available, but otherwise does not add much new to what Zerbe originally published.

My latest. I suspect it dates to 1895 to 1900 or so. and one on a 1909 Orengemen Badge (whoever they are): I have not yet had any luck discovering who the Orengemen might be. It might be the Irish Protestant Orangemen, but I am not certain.

Beautiful medals. The only way a collector can acquire award medals for their collection is when they come on the open market. The few that have, generally bring big bucks compared to what I have been spending on my collection. Anyone have a Smedley award to post. I love the design of that award and have been outbid the two times I have seen them for sale. Oh yeah. Congratulations on your awards. I love the exhibits and really appreciate the work that goes into them. I write as my form of exhibiting, primarily because I have never been talented enough to pull off something that matches the exceptional quality of the exhibits at the ANA level.

It depends on how you count his listings. But my spread sheet has 67 entries for possible items and I have acquired 40 to date. They are getting harder to find even though they may not be the most expensive.

I have some things backed up while I've been writing. One of these days I'll get back to the collection. Yes, things are starting to get more expensive as I try to fill in some of the earlier material.

The medals I have in my book include: Father Serra (this is not the US Mint medal struck in 1964). San Antonio de Padua San Gabriel San Luis Obispo San Juan Capistrano San Buenaventura Santa Barbara San Jose San Miguel San Fernando San Luis Rey San Raphael Empty holes in my book: San Diego San Carlos San Francisco Santa Clara La Purisima -- existence confirmed (11/6/11) Santa Cruz Soledad -- existence confirmed (11/6/11) San Juan Bautista Santa Inez San Francisco de Solano

Rather than fix my light, I hand hold it moving it up and down and from side to side and tilt it at various angles to the glass. I watch the impact on the image until I get the effect I want. The coin stays flat in relation to the lens. I generally shoot at f/22 to maintain maximum depth of field and let the exposure vary as needed up to about a second.

I shoot mostly with axial lighting, but I do vary the light angle to achieve the effect that I want. I think that is true with any light setup. You find the basic setup, then you start experimenting depending on the coin and desired effect.

Nice effect. Have you explored axial lighting?

Fascinating piece. I would love to see an actual medal as presented with the full detail of the die. Your write up really brings this piece to life.

Interesting pairing. I could get used to collecting pairs showing the progression. Finding them, now that's the problem. Congratulations.

Spectacular site!

Beautiful medal. As you note, I would go for no hole, but I'm a sucker for an original ribbon or hanger when I find them.

Another acquisition not cataloged in my article, a coin stack that would hold 2 1/2 dollar gold pieces.

Hibler & Kappen 479, the Protestant version of the SCD. One of the exhibition halls at the fair was devoted to religions.

My latest acquisition is also part of another collecting interest, early California celebrations. This piece is from the 1909 Portola Exposition in San Francisco, in part intended to stimulate the economy after the 1906 earthquake.

I haven't really thought about it until you asked. I guess that's something I'll have to do one day.

Many so-called dollars are found holed for attachment. Although I already had several of these, I could not resist one with its original hanger.

Find a local coin dealer that handles world gold. They should be help to help you with a higher degree of security than a random buy on Ebay.

Great thread. Thanks.

Well defined, interesting collection. I'm impressed.