1861 confederate cent?

Question

I have an 1861 confederate cent and i have read that there are restrikes how do i know if it is a restrike or original. Also can anyone give me information about the coin

Answer 1

Yes the Confederacy did contact a Robert Lovett Jr. in Philadelphia to make dies for a cent. He though he might be considered a traitor, so hid the dies but not until he made 12 of them on copper/nickel planchets. The dies were later sold to Capt John. W. Haseltine who struck 55 copper proofs, 7 gold proofs and 12 silver proofs. The dies were then defaced and in the 1960's a Robert Bashlow made a copy die and minted them in various metals, but the coins minted have the defacement marks as well as makes caused by coping the rusted original die. I have some of the Bashlow copies. In the mean time some museums in the South also issued die struck versions as well as cast ones as souvenir items. After the 1972 passage of the Hobby Protection act they had to be marked on them somewhere that they were a copy. That does not mean everyone goes by that act especially other countries. Your chance of having a real one is zip and having one of the re-strikes by Haseltine is not to good either. If a Bashlow copy then it will have raised lines on it from the die being defaced. I have a few modern ones, made by who knows who, that are made of pewter and they don't say copy and maybe they should. Take it to a coin dealer and see what he says, in fact take it to more than one. I hate to see you send it in to have it authenticated when it is a know fake or copy. It would just be a waist of your money and time.

Answer 2

My coin book states that Mr. Robert Loveett designed the dies for stamping and stamped 12 original coins, fear of arrest, he hid the dies and coins in his cellar.

The original 1861 cent was (copper-nickle) worth over $30,000.

The dies then were sold to Capt. John W. Haseltine and made restrikes. In 1960 the dies were copied and restrikes were made by Robert Bashlow.

The only way you can be sure if it is a original is send it off to a coin certification company.

In my opinion it is highly unlikely you have 1 of the original 12.