1796 AR Medal Castorland, Original MS(PCGS#653)

1796 AR Medal Castorland, Original MS (PCGS#653)

Summer 2025 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Lot Description: 226.5 grains. A handsome piece dressed in rich, original, olive-gray and softer antique gold. Boldly defined in the absence of all but light wear that finds greatest expression at the central high points. Further confirming that this is a lightly handled piece, close inspection with a loupe reveals myriad small and a few moderate size marks on both sides, mostly in the open field areas. None of these are worthy of individual attention, although accuracy does compel us to mention a small, shallow test mark on the obverse rim just past 12 o'clock. There is no trace of the reverse die buckling at the letter S in PARENS.<p>The Castorland medals or jetons (or as Breen called them "demi ecu") are as enigmatic as they are rare. The original strikes in silver, as here, were probably struck to circulate among the denizens of the 630,000 acre parcel of upstate New York which French settlers founded in 1793. The settlers built a mill, a forge, and a canal and settled two villages, Castorville (now Castorland), and Carthage. The name itself, Castorland, is from the French "castor" or beaver, an example of which figures prominently in the medal's design. Nearly always seen in well-circulated condition, original Castorland pieces - they have been restruck many times over the past two centuries - have long been popular with collectors in America. We see these only occasionally, and when offered in pleasing AU, as here, the bidding is substantial.