1879 CSA, Scott Restrike Half Dollar

Coin Details

Auction Record

$12,925 MS65 03-26-2015 Stack's Bowers

Description

The 1874 Scott Restrike of the Confederate Cent in copper was produced by J.W. Scott & Co. of New York, the same firm responsible for the well-known 1879 Confederate Half Dollar restrikes. Scott acquired access to Robert Lovett Jr.’s original Confederate cent dies, through John W. Haseltine or through separate arrangements with the Lovett estate, and produced a limited number of copper restrikes for the numismatic market. The Scott copper restrike of the Confederate cent is distinguished from the Haseltine restrikes primarily by provenance and distribution records rather than any visible difference in the struck pieces, as both firms used the identical original Lovett dies. The copper composition produces a rich, warm-toned coin that develops attractive brown patina over time, with the agricultural wreath reverse and French-inspired Liberty head obverse rendered in full detail from the well-preserved dies. Scott’s involvement with Confederate numismatic material extended beyond the cent to include the famous half dollar restrikes of 1879, establishing the firm as the primary commercial source for Confederate coin reproductions in the late nineteenth century. The Scott copper cent restrikes, while less celebrated than the half dollar restrikes, represent an important chapter in the dissemination of Confederate numismatic designs to the collecting public.

Rarity Notes

Rare. Scott copper restrikes were produced in small numbers, comparable to or fewer than the Haseltine copper production of approximately 55 pieces. They appear at auction infrequently.