1859 Indian Head Cent - Brunk V 2 V. Bros

Coin Details

Description

This 1859 Indian Head Cent bears a merchant counterstamp attributed to V. Bros, cataloged as Brunk V-2. Counterstamps were applied to circulating coins by merchants, silversmiths, and tradesmen as a form of portable advertising — the business card of early America. The V. Bros stamp identifies a business operating in Bros, one of many merchants who used coin counterstamping to advertise their trade. The host coin is a 1859 cent from the Indian Head Cents 1859-1909 series. The host coin's original mintage was 36.4 million, though counterstamped examples represent only a tiny fraction of survivors. Struck in 88% copper, 12% nickel, weighing 4.7 grams, 19 mm in diameter. Cataloged as PCGS #934533. Counterstamped coins documented in Gregory G. Brunk's "American and Canadian Countermarked Coins" sit at the intersection of numismatics and Americana — each piece is a primary-source historical document of early American commerce. The counterstamp adds a unique layer of provenance that distinguishes this coin from all other examples of its type.