(1859) Copper Medal GW-257, Dickeson's Coin & Medal Safe

Coin Details

Auction Record

$480 MS65BN 11-09-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

This copper medal cataloged as GW-257 is the plain copper version of the Dickeson's Coin and Medal Safe advertising medal, produced circa 1859. Unlike the bronzed copper variant (PCGS #883448), this piece retains its natural copper surface, which would have been bright reddish-orange when newly struck before developing the characteristic brown or green patina over time. Montroville W. Dickeson's Coin and Medal Safe was an early form of coin collecting storage designed to protect and display growing collections during a period when American numismatics was establishing itself as a serious pursuit. The late 1850s marked a boom period in American coin collecting, driven by the discovery that certain early U.S. coins had become rare and valuable. Entrepreneurs like Dickeson recognized the commercial potential of this new hobby and produced both the tools collectors needed and the advertising pieces to promote them. The Washington portrait on this medal ensured its appeal to collectors of Washingtoniana as well as those interested in numismatic trade tokens and advertising pieces.

Rarity Notes

GW-257, plain copper. Dickeson advertising medal. Slightly more common than the bronzed version.

Cross References

PCGS #861314; GW-257; Dickeson Coin & Medal Safe, copper