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Antiques! => Antique Questions Forum => Topic started by: route66 on January 03, 2015, 06:19:53 AM
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Hello everyone! I'm new today, and trying to find out if a tin, stamped, (maybe hammered), medal or coin is from Pike's Peak. My mother found it over 40 years ago in Missouri, and the cars driving on the switchbacks look to be from the 1920s, so I'm trying to find out if anyone can identify it and maybe give me a history or value. It's about 3/4" in diameter and very thin, and my guess is it is stamped from the back, making it protrude on the front. There are no words or numbers anywhere. I could see one car with 4 people in it with a magnifying glass, but when I scanned it and enlarged it I could see another car going up the next switchback. I'll post a picture if I can. I'm not sure if this site will notify me if my question gets an answer, so for those of you who know please notify me if you post a reply. Thanks so much for your time!!!
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Hi, i copied you picture and had a look around the net.
If you say it was found 40 years ago, it may be a 1906 pikes peak 'so-called dollar', they are collectible. Though there are various medallions also give for hikers, runners etc who i guess race up the mountain at certain events, though those medallions usually depict a runner or hiker of some sort, so i would be thinking your's maybe a 1906 so-called dollar.
What's on the back of the medallion?
Here's some info i found,
1906: Colorado Springs citizens celebrate the 100th anniversary of Zebulon Pike's discovery of Pikes Peak. In addition to many various celebrations held throughout the year, the Pike Centennial Committee commissions the Philadelphia Mint to strike medals to commemorate the event. 10,000 medals the size of half dollars are struck and sold ($1 each for silver, 50 cents each for bronze). Sales were slow, so many were made into watch fobs or pendants.
Official Medals authorized by 59th Congress; designed by C. E. Barber; struck at Philadelphia Mint. Mint records reveal issue limited to 250 Silver proof, 250 Gold-plate, 4,200 gray-oxidized Silver and 6,250 Bronze; sold through local banks and Chamber of Commerce; Bronze for 50 cents, Silver for $1; 65% of all were looped. Some authorities insist these quantities were ones "ordered," that issue actually was smaller. In any event, of total struck, large portion was delivered by Mint apparently too late for sale; they were stored and forgotten for 49 years.
In 1955 these 4,000 pieces were found in basement of old First National Bank Building during demolition. Historical Society of Pike's Peak Region, Inc. directed their sale to help finance 1956 Celebration (no new or additional medals struck for latter event). Again, most were mounted but loops were "expertly removed to make…acceptable to Collectors" and many do defy detection.
Colorado newspapers of 1906 cautioned public to buy "only the genuine authorized medal" as an imitation had appeared on market.
The car depicted on the medallion is also quite similar to the 1906 model K fords at the time:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lR7QhA4Vawg/TVOAsMqpRNI/AAAAAAAAAbM/WBkJH3K_VGA/s1600/06_Ford_K_Rdstr_Red.jpg
Here is a link to some examples:
http://www.skyrunner.com/story/pp_medals.htm
and here is a link to a So-called dollar collectors site:
http://so-calleddollar.com/DollarSite/DollarPhotos.aspx?category=220&title=Auction%20Archives
As for price, there was a 1906 bronze medallion sold for $35 USD, however yours would seem to be a gray-oxide silver medallion, in which they made slight fewer of, so it may be only slightly more valuable assuming it is found to be an actual pike's peak 1906 so-called dollar.
Well i hope that helps!
Kind regards,
Jeremy
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When an answer is given you do get an email notice but since we try to get and give an answer quickly,,best is just to check back here every half hour or so !!
Excellent research Bezzzo !! Rauville may be able to add to the info !!
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Bezzzo- Thanks so much for all of the time and research you invested. I truly appreciate it. Since the 3/4" diameter tin? is so thin, the front and the back are exactly the same, only the back is indented and the front is protruding, thus the 3D effect, from either being stamped or hammered. I agree the car may be an earlier model year than I first thought. Since there are no numbers or letters anywhere, and the tin? is so thin, I have doubts it is a monetary coin. I could not find anything in the links you provided that resembled my item, and they were all much thicker with different fronts and backs, with letters and numbers on them.
Once again, thanks for your perseverance!
Maybe amongst the bunch of us, we can determine it's origin and history.
Searching for the answer!
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mart- Thanks for the reply about the email notification. That's very helpful. I did receive one.
Unfortunately, I won't be able to check my computer every 30 minutes. I'm a Registered Nurse and live next door to and take care of my Mother who has lung cancer. Even at 86 years old, she keeps me quite busy.
My "coin" is nowhere near the size of a half dollar, even though the pic I posted is...I blew it up to enhance the details. It's actually only 3/4" diameter and takes a magnifying glass to see the details.
I don't know Rauville but I will accept help from anyone willing to pitch in. Thanks for your help as well.
It's time for bed so I'll catch y'all on the flip side!
G'nite!
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Just check whenever you can !! Sorry to hear that your mother is in bad health,, but good that you can live close and help !!
Have a good sleep !!
Rauville is one of our members who has what seems like an encyclopedia of knowledge about some of the hardest items to find !! (At least for me they are hard to find) !! Hopefully he will take a look !!
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Thanks, mart! I tried to use the search feature to find Rauville so that I could invite him to my topic, but had no luck. Is there a way to find a particular member, or do I just need to wait for him to see my topic and hope he checks it out?
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Never mind, mart. I searched through the topics until I found one that Rauville had started, then I sent him an invite. I might get this piece figured out yet!
Thanks to everyone who visited my topic and especially those who contributed. This is by far the best forum of any kind I have ever seen in my oh so many years, and you people are wonderful!!!
I feel like I've just made 1000 new friends!
I appreciate it, y'all!!!
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Hi route66;
I was just checking my email and see you were looking for some help. I'm sorry, but I probably don't know anymore than anyone else. My first thought from looking at your photo and description would be that the piece in question could have been a part of/or attached to another item.
Here are some additional medals / tokens: http://www.skyrunner.com/story/pp_medals.htm (http://www.skyrunner.com/story/pp_medals.htm)
I'll try to remember to look some more tomorrow.
PS: We had big plans to move down to the Ozarks for the past several years. Age and too much "stuff" to work with changed our minds, and we just got our place sold down there. Beautiful area, and hated to have to give it up. :(
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Rauville- Sorry to hear you won't be joining us in the Ozarks, but then wherever you hang your hat is home. Thanks for your assistance.
I just found a 1930s postcard from Canon City, Colorado which appears to have the same car in the picture, although the scenery is different and Pike's Peak is off in the distance. I'm going to try to post the picture I took off the net, and also write the seller to see if I can get a picture of the back for possible clues as to it's origin. It's listed as unused.
The postcard may have been the inspiration for my piece...
Thanks again!
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Oh no !! Was sure Rauville would know what this might be !! I have not found anything similar !! I think you are right Rauville,, that it came off of another object !!
Where did your mother find this piece ?? I am thinking it is possibly the front part of a souvenir necklace, watch fob or something similar from the Pikes Peak area !! I can remember similar things from when I was a kid !!
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Mom found the piece here in town just laying on the concrete. Obviously it hadn't been there too long or someone would have stepped on it and smashed it. I'm currently researching souvenirs from Pike's Peak and Canon City, CO as well, just to make sure I cover everything. I haven't heard back yet from the seller of the postcard, I may have to buy it just to see the info on the back and maybe get a clue as to the history of my item. I'll just keep on keepin' on!
Also there is no sign of glue or adhesive on the back of it, so if it was part of something else then it must have been a friction fit or put in during assembly.
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It fit in a metal groove made into the back it just curled around the front which gave it sort of a "locket" look with a rim around the entire thing !! Hollow in the middle !! Not sure about that though !! They were very lightweight for those little cheapie chains !!
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Thanks, mart! That sounds reasonable...you didn't by chance find a picture, too, did you? I'm now going to start searching "Pike's Peak keychain" to see if I can get a picture. If it's off of an old keychain, it still may still be worth something as a collectible. My Mom told me she thought it would more likely be from a bracelet charm, so I'm going to search for those, too.
Thanks again!
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No pic,, I just remember similar things from my childhood,,,although I must say,,my childhood was not,,LOL,,I repeat not during the era of the car that's on your item !! ;D Not quite that old yet !!
Charm bracelet was also possible as are keychains and watch fobs !! I called myself looking for those but I didn`t look very deep !!
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Thanks, mart. I'm not quite that old yet, either, hehehe! So for now I'll just keep searching until I find what it came out of, then maybe I can get an age range. If not, it can sit in my shadow box with my many other collectibles for the rest of my days.
I appreciate all the help. I need to return the favors to y'all, and Mom knows all about a lot of different antiques, and is interested in what I've told her so far...so I'll have to get her involved with helping me answer some questions. I'm sure she'd enjoy that!
Thanks again!
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Weren't these like challenge coins - that could be put into key chains a well?
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Could be KC !! I haven`t found anything similar in all my jewelry type searches !!
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I got a pic of the back of the 1930's postcard, will post it. I didn't get much info other than HHT CO so I looked them up online, found a stamping company, and emailed a pic of my item to them to see if they had made it and/or know any history.
I have had no luck searching for key chains, charms or watch fobs...yet anyway!
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KC- thanks for the additional lead. I'll add challenge coins to my search list. I appreciate you!
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You might check with the local historical society in your town !! They might be aware of this item and when it was used !! Had to be some type of a promotional item like KC said,,or just a souvenir !!
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This could have even been made for a tire or car company in the area as a giveaway! Touting how well it handles on the roads/switchbacks!
Nice piece of trivia!
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Does anyone recognize the car ??
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The local Historical Society here doesn't know anything about the piece, but then I'm a long way from Pike's Peak, here in Missouri. I had someone guess that the car was a 1906 Ford but I haven't been able to personally verify that, yet! I'm expanding my search to include car companies and tire companies. I'm trying to work every angle, but so far no luck.
Thanks to y'all for the comments and help!
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Also the company I wrote to, thinking they were possibly the manufacturer, wrote back and had no idea what it was and had no record of anything similar. I'm slowly but surely finding out where it's NOT from...hehehe! Gotta start somewhere!
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Well. at least you will not have to re-trace your tracks like we sometimes do !! :D