1785 (ca. 1863) Confederatio Cent Muling. By John Adams Bolen. Musante JAB M-1. Silver. MS-64 (NGC).27.8 mm. Fairly uniform dusky silver gray on the large stars side and a bit more mottled on the reverse with areas of lighter silver and soft blue. Coarsely satiny surfaces from the state of the dies here showing evidence of the published defacement, but also some light spalling in places. Lustrous in the fields where the surface texture is a little smoother.<p>As discussed by Musante, there are varying accounts as to the numbers struck, and all reports include minuscule numbers. Johnson listed only two in copper in his 1882 list, while Bolen listed just one in brass, the latter being the only one in our online archives from Bolens own collection. It is believed that Edwards may have struck further pieces from the defaced dies, as here. Musante noted two appearances of brass examples in Stacks sales in 1976 and 1982, but in each case the medal (possibly the same specimen) was from the defaced dies. Bolens own example of this medal in brass, and edge-marked by him, was in our November 2021 E Pluribus Unum sale. That was from earlier state dies, prior to the defacement. This is a curious muling from the outset, but it seems that some collectors might have been aware of it and commissioned Edwards to strike a very small number to order- likely in single digits. This seems to be from such an output and is the only one we are aware of in silver. This composition was not mentioned by Musante, coming to light in the Eric P. Newman holdings well after the book was published. This is the second public offering ever, and it has been more than a decade since it last sold. Another rare prize from Bolen dies.From the Claremont Collection. Earlier ex A.H. Baldwin and Sons, date unrecorded; Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society; Heritages sale of the Eric P. Newman Collection, Part XI, November 2018, lot 15027.
