1862 Young America / J.A. Bolen Store Card. Musante JAB-5, Rulau Ma-Sp 4. Copper. MS-65 BN (PCGS).
27.8 mm. An exceptional red and brown specimen with just a trace of light residue on the reverse from what appears to be an old spill resulting in slightly uneven toning. Both sides are still rather handsome, the obverse particularly so with considerable red remaining in the recesses and soft overtones of chocolate-brown and iridescent blue. Very sharply struck and no visible evidence of handling to speak of. As noted by Q. David Bowers in our January 2011 offering of his personal collection, "The term Young America was popular in the mid-19th century and was used for many purposes, including the name of a town (in Minnesota), several ships, various toys, and in cartoons. On this die, Bolen captures the patriotic spirit of American youth…," or perhaps the relative youth of America itself at a time, in 1862, when the American Civil War seemed to threaten its very existence. Though it was reported in the 1882 Edwin L. Johnson listing that 75 were struck in copper, it can't really be considered common in any metal. This type was not included in our February 2014 sale of the Musante Collection in any composition, and our online archives include only about five appearances of each, copper and brass, over the last decade.
From our sale of the E PLURIBUS UNUM Collection, November 2021 Baltimore Auction, lot 10188.