1809 (ca. 1860s) Abraham Lincoln / William Leggett Bramhall Mule. Cunningham 28-2390B, King-629, DeWitt-AL 1860-73A, Musante GW-345, Baker-247 (for type). Brass. Plain Edge. 19 mm. Gem Mint State.A wonderfully original example whose smooth surfaces are bathed in handsome olive-gold patina, the reverse more deeply toned than the obverse. During the 1860s William Leggett Bramhall issued a number of mulings of the various 19-mm dies cut by George Hampden Lovett for his Robbins, Royce & Hard store card and Lincoln political medalet series. According to Rulau (2004) it was "during the fall of 1860 [that] he was persuaded by some of his friends" to issue these mulings. Writing in his 2016 Washingtoniana reference, however, Neil Musante reports that none of the mulings that utilize the William Leggett Bramhall Washington portrait die, as here, were in the McCoy or Levick sales of 1864. The author concludes, therefore, that these pieces were "no doubt struck at a later date," and he assigns a striking period of ca. 1868.<p>Brass impressions from the present dies are scarce with the mintage reported as 15 and 13 pieces, respectively, in Rulau and Musante. This metallic composition is unlisted in the 1999 edition of the Rulau-Fuld Washingtoniana reference.From the Q. David Bowers Collection. Earlier ex Zabriskie Collection. Collector tag with attribution and provenance notes included.
