(1796) Bronze Medal Castorland Restrike Original Obverse - Copy Reverse

Coin Details

Description

Cataloged as W-9135 and PCGS #517135, this distinctive Castorland restrike pairs an original obverse die with a copy reverse die — a mixed-die combination that sets it apart from the more uniform restrikes cataloged under W-9125 and W-9130. The original 1796 Castorland medal was commissioned by the Compagnie de New-York, a consortium of French aristocrats fleeing the Revolution who purchased 210,000 acres along the Black River in Jefferson and Lewis Counties, New York, to establish a utopian agricultural colony they named Castorland (from the French castor, meaning beaver, after the region's prolific beaver population). The obverse, engraved by Duvivier at the Paris Mint, depicts Ceres, goddess of agriculture, bearing implements of cultivation with the legend FRANCO-AMERICANA COLONIA, while the reverse displays a cartographic rendering of the settlement surrounded by the Virgilian motto SALVE MAGNA PARENS FRUGUM ("Hail, great mother of harvests"). This particular variant is scarce among Castorland restrikes because the mixed original/copy die combination represents an unusual production circumstance — the original reverse die likely became damaged or unavailable, necessitating a copy die to continue restrike production. Struck in bronze, weighing 15 grams with a 32 mm diameter and a reeded edge, this piece appeals to specialists who collect the full range of Castorland die pairings, as the original-obverse/copy-reverse combination preserves authentic die work on one side while documenting the later reproduction of the other.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Mixed original/copy die combination.

Cross References

W-9135