1961 Bashlow Restrike, Brass Cent

Coin Details

Auction Record

$384 MS67 10-21-2020 Heritage Auctions

Description

The 1961 Bashlow Restrike of the Confederate Cent in brass was produced by Robert Bashlow of New York as part of his comprehensive restrike program using transfer dies made from the original Lovett Confederate cent dies. Bashlow’s project, undertaken on the centennial of the Civil War’s outbreak, was the most ambitious Confederate cent reproduction effort ever attempted, producing pieces in over a dozen different metals and materials. Bashlow created his transfer dies through an electrotype process, faithfully capturing the design details of Lovett’s 1861 originals. The brass composition gives these pieces a golden-yellow appearance with a warm, slightly muted luster that distinguishes them from both the brighter gold originals and the redder copper restrikes. The obverse Liberty head and reverse agricultural wreath are well-rendered, though careful examination reveals the slightly softer detail characteristic of transfer dies versus original hand-engraved dies. The Bashlow restrikes democratized access to the Confederate cent design for twentieth-century collectors. While Lovett’s originals and even Haseltine’s nineteenth-century restrikes were priced beyond most collectors’ reach, Bashlow’s pieces were produced in sufficient quantities and sold at accessible prices that allowed widespread collecting of this historically significant design. The brass version is among the more available Bashlow metal varieties.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Bashlow brass restrikes were produced in moderate quantities as part of the 1961 centennial restrike program. They appear at auction regularly and are among the more affordable ways to own a Confederate cent design piece.