Kagin’s, Inc. is offering a $5,000 finder’s fee reward for confirmation of the second known gold coin counterstamped with the genuine hallmark of Baltimore silversmith Standish Barry. The only coin now known with the hallmark is the unique 1735 imitation Lima 8 escudos that was found in the collection of Baltimore banker Louis E. Eliasberg Sr.Announcement of the finder’s reward was made by Donald H. Kagin, president of Kagin’s, when he displayed the counterstamped doubloon at the American Numismatic Association World’s Fair of Money convention.”This is the first time it has been back in Baltimore since Eliasberg’s world coin collection was sold in a public auction in 2005,” Kagin said.The imitation Lima 8 escudos has two identical “SB” counterstamps on the reverse, the same oval-shaped hallmark design as found on various early American silverware produced in Barry’s Baltimore workshop.”Currently, the doubloon is the only coin we know that was countermarked by Barry. There are a small number of 1790-dated Standish Barry three-pence pieces known, but those were struck from regular dies by Barry, and not countermarked,” explained David McCarthy, Kagin’s senior numismatist and researcher.”We will pay $5,000 just to be the first to see the first, new, authentic Standish Barry countermarked gold coin, and $1,000 per additional piece that may turn up,” said McCarthy. “We also will pay $1,000 for the first, genuine silver countermarked piece, and $500 for additional one.”Eliasberg obtained the unrecorded, unique reeded-cast imitation Lima doubloon from the John Clapp estate in 1942. It remained unpublished until 2004. Since then it has been compared to the famous Brasher Doubloons produced in New York City by silversmith Ephraim Brasher. Both types of coins weigh 17 Pennyweights (or 26.42 grams) and were valued at $15.For more information, contact Kagin’s by writing 98 Main St., Suite 201, Tiburon, CA 94920, by phone at (415) 435-2601, or online at www.kagins.com.
