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

Summer 2026 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

1350

Grade

VF25

Price

5,124

Lot Description

Obviously a moderately circulated example, which when combined with the solid originality of the surfaces makes this a highly desirable collector specimen in a Castorland medal. Both sides are dressed in rich, even, olive-gray and mauve with a few blushes of russet tinting here and there at the borders. The strike is generally well centered, aligned just a bit to 3 o'clock, with consequent thinness or softness to the denticulation at right obverse and reverse. All major design elements are bold in the presence of moderate wear, the overall design fully appreciable. The few tiny nicks and other small marks are generally buried in the toning, the in-hand appearance pleasingly smooth for the assigned grade. Wear makes this conclusion somewhat difficult, but we see no trace of the reverse die buckling at the letter S in PARENS, which suggests this is an original striking of the type, an assessment also reached by NGC as evidenced by their W-9100 attribution on the insert.<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 and problem-free condition, as here, the bidding is substantial.