1854 Brunk B-493, C.O. Beedle Cent

Coin Details

Description

A counterstamped 1854 Large Cent bearing the merchant mark of C.O. Beedle, assigned Brunk number B-493 in Gregory Brunk comprehensive catalog of counterstamped U.S. coins. The 1854 date places this piece in the twilight of the Large Cent era; the Mint discontinued the denomination after 1857 in favor of the smaller copper-nickel Flying Eagle cent, making these coins increasingly historical artifacts even as Beedle used them as advertising tokens. C.O. Beedle was a merchant or craftsman who used the coin as portable advertising in an era before mass-printed business cards were common. The host cent obverse die was produced using a portrait-lathe technique that sometimes resulted in blurry features, a characteristic of mid-1850s Large Cent production that adds die-variety interest for specialists.

Rarity Notes

High R.7. Scarce; very few examples documented in the Brunk census.

Cross References

Brunk B-493; host coin: 1854 Large Cent