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  • Elephant Tokens: Introduction

    Elephant Token Dies and Combinations

    This listing is based on Michael Hodder, "The London, Carolina, and New England Elephant Tokens," in The Norweb Collection: Part 1, p. 357.

    Obverse dies

    There are two obverse dies, both made with the same punch, so the Elephant is the same in both cases. The only difference is in the centering of the elephant in realtion to the edge of the die.

    Obverse 1. The elephant's tusks are distant from the border of the token

    Obverse 2. The elephant's tusks are very close to the border of the token

    Reverse dies

    Reverse A. The saltire cross, that is, a cross with intersecting diagonal lines in the form of an X in the center, dagger in the upper left quadrant of the shield.

    Reverse B. The plain cross, dagger in upper left quadrant of the shield. In the legend recutting can be seen in the D in GOD.

    Reverse C. The saltire cross, that is, a cross with intersecting diagonal lines in the form of an X in the center, dagger in the upper right quadrant of the shield.

    Reverse D. Inscription is:     LON    [six pointed star]    DON    [six pointed star]

    Reverse E. Carolina reverse with PROPRIETERS.

    Reverse F. Carolina reverse with PROPRIETORS.

    Reverse G. NEW ENGLAND reverse.

    Die Combinations

    1-A.     Thin planchet     Rarity 7-

    1-C.     Thin planchet     Rarity 7+

    1-E.     Thin planchet     Rarity 7

    2-B.     Thick and thin planchets     Rarity 4

    2-D.     Thin planchet     Rarity 7-

    2-F.     Thin planchet     Rarity 6-

    2-G.     One thin planchet and two thick planchet specimens known.

    Hodder mentions a 2-B on a very wide planchet of 30.7mm and another with fire gilding, both were struck on cast planchets and were in the Norweb sale as lots 1232 (wide planchet) and 1233 (gilt).

    Reference

    Michael Hodder, "The London, Carolina, and New England Elephant Tokens," in The Norweb Collection: Part 1 Early American and U.S. Coins, a public auction sale of October 12 and 13, 1987 in New York City by Bowers and Merena Inc., Wolfboro, N.H.: Bowers and Merena, 1987, pp. 357-362 with an introduction and lots 1227-1237 (on p. 10 of the catalog L. Arlin, R. Bagg, M. Hodder, D. Bowers, R. Merena and T. Becker are listed as the catalogers, I assume the colonial introductions and descriptions are by Hodder)

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    Elephant Token Introduction Section Contents Elephant Tokens


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