Alfred Robinson Historical Series



ALFRED S. ROBINSON'S HISTORICAL
SERIES

      Alfred S. Robinson began his numismatic career in 1860 by commissioning Joseph H. Merriam of Boston to produce copies of several famous early American coins. Sometime that same year he expanded he scope of his endeavors and hired George H. Lovett to produce dies for what he called "Alfred S. Robinson Historical Medals. Six different designs were produced between 1860 and 1863. Although they followed the same general design for some unknown reason only numbers one and two in the series were labeled as such.

Historical Series No. 1 - Major General Anthony Wayne

Five struck in silver, fifty each in copper, brass, silvered
brass, and white metal

Silver, 35mm
(image courtesy of Jonathan Brecher)


Copper, 35mm

Brass, 35.8mm


Silvered metal (92.2% tin, 2.84% calcium, 2.16% silver,
traces of antimony, lead, iodine, actinium) , 35mm

 Silvered white metal (94% tin, 4.85% silver, trace of iodine),  34.8mm
 
Both of these could be called silvered tin with the difference in visual
appearance caused by the calcium and other trace elements in the
first one. In his monograph on Robinson DeWitt states they were 
struck in silvered brass but does not mention silvered tin. They 
are listed in the So-Called Dollar book as H-K 133A and just
referred to as silvered metal.

The one labeled silver white metal is from the DeWitt Collection
auctioned by Heritage. His hand written note on the holder called it
silver but it is obviously not.
 
 
White metal, 35mm



Historic Series No. 2 - Robert Fulton

Five struck in silver, fifty each in copper, brass, silvered
brass, and white metal

Silver, 35mm

Copper, 35mm

Brass, 34.9mm

Silvered brass, 35mm

White metal, 35mm

Lead die trials - thick planchett

Lead die trials - thin planchett


Historical Series (No. 3) - Andrew Jackson

Five struck in silver, one hundred in copper, fifty each in brass
and white metal

Silver, 35mm
IMAGE NEEDED

Copper, 35mm

Brass, 35mm

White metal (silvered?), 35mm


Historical Series (No. 4) - Henry Clay

Five struck in silver, one hundred in copper, and ten each in
brass and white metal

Silver, 35mm
IMAGE NEEDED

Copper, 34.05mm

Brass, 33.9mm

White metal, 35mm

German silver (68.3% copper, 19% zinc, 12.7% nickle) , 35mm
    In the Stack's sale of the Ford Collection this was called copper nickel. It was subsequently slabbed by NGC and called nickel (unfortunately NGC was not aware of the fact that pure nickel is magnetic!). Subsequent XRF testing indicates it is what is commonly known as German silver

 


Historical Series (No. 5) - Martin Van Buren

Unknown number struck in silver, fifty each in copper, brass,
and white metal

Silver, 33.9mm

Copper, 35mm

Brass, 35mm

White Metal, 34mm

Silver plated tin (94.77% tin, 3.05% silver), 35mm
                   DeWitt in his monograph on Robinson does not mention this  composition. A silvered white metal from the Ford collection was described as being struck on a thin planchet, this example is on a much thicker planchet than the silver one above

Goldine?, 35mm
(image courtesy Heritage)
     This piece described as Goldine was in the September 4, 2014 Heritage Auction. I did not have the opportunity to examine it.

Historical Series (No. 6) - George Washington

Unknown how many were struck in each metal

 Silver, 35mm

Copper, 33.9mm


Brass, 33.9mm

White metal, 35mm