1881 Steel Dies for J.A. Bolens Pynchon House Token. Musante JAB-39. Nearly As Made.Obverse Die: Pynchon house at center, tiny BOLEN signature within at the base, die face 25.2 mm, shank 31.6 mm, total height 31.6 mm, small J.A. BOLEN punched on the side of the shank, the face is polished and bright. Reverse Die: Nine-line descriptive inscription, THE PYNCHON HOUSE / CALLED / THE OLD FORT. / BUILT BY / JOHN PYNCHON, / IN 1660. / TAKEN DOWN / IN 1881. / SPRINGFIELD, MASS, die face 25.2 mm, shank 32.5 mm, total height 36.3 mm, small J.A. BOLEN punched on the side of the shank, as with the obverse, the face is highly polished, seemingly near strike-ready.According to Bolens own records, these dies struck 150 pieces in three compositions -- silver, copper and brass. They held up nicely and, according to Musante, were retained by Bolen, left to the care of his son upon the fathers death. They were sold out of the family in 1940. A superb pair of dies, and though other Bolen dies are known to exist, this superbly preserved matched pair is a prize for the Bolen specialist. Kings Handbook of Springfield, Massachusetts, 1884, included this:In 1660 was built the first brick building ever erected in Springfield. It was the dwelling-house of John Pynchon, who is called in the records The Worshipful Major Pynchon and, later, The Worshipful Colonel. The bricks used in its construction were made at Northampton. The carpenters and masons were from Windsor. The building was 42 feet long, and 21 feet wide. The walls were very thick and solid, rising about 22 feet from the ground to the eaves. The roof was very steep, and the ridge was about 22 feet in perpendicular height above the garret-floor. It was designed to be a fortified house, and was actually used as such during the Indian War. This building remained in the occupation of the Pynchons until it was demolished, in 1831, to make room for a modern house. It was long known as the old fort. John Pynchon was engaged in a very large business as a merchant. He purchased furs very extensively of the Indians and others. These were sent down the river to his warehouse, at what is now known as Warehouse Point in East Windsor, and thence to Hartford; from which place they were shipped to Boston and England. He was an owner, or part owner, of several vessels.A unique numismatic opportunity! (Total: 2 dies)From the Q. David Bowers Collection. Earlier from our Americana Sale of February 2014, lot 149.
