1869 J.A. Bolen Store Card. Musante JAB-35. Copper. MS-66 BN (PCGS).

25.4 mm. 137.9 grains. Rich chocolate brown with soft blue toning in the fields and outlines of bright red copper around many letters of the legends. Prooflike and nicely struck on a fairly thin flan. Three small obverse spots are noted for accuracy. If an edge-marked specimen exists in copper, it was probably sold in our 1992 Witham and Sansoucy sale. We are unaware of its whereabouts today. The unique silver example, identified as such on its edge with SILVER ONE STRUCK ONLY, was in that sale, group-lotted with examples in copper and white metal. Since the small "B" edge punch that is on all of Bolen's reference specimens was not mentioned on the silver one above, we can assume that it was overlooked and may have been on the copper and white metal ones, too. The ANS has a brass example that came from the family with the usual small "B" punched on the edge, which would have completed the set of what Bolen produced in terms of compositions. Both Johnson (1882) and Bolen (1905) reported the mintage as 28 specimens in copper. No restrikes could have been produced by anyone, as the family transferred the dies to the ANS in 1948. Board Position: B 2/2

From the E Pluribus Unum Collection.