Hey Mister Can You Spare A Cent...?

Private Watkins

2nd Lieutenant
Joined
Apr 12, 2014
Location
Oklahoma
Somebody got creative when repairing (or making) the rowel on this spur...
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The rowel is a star-cut U.S. large one cent piece. One wonders if the spur was originally made this way, or perhaps it was a field repair...? Were no other suitable replacement materials available, or was someone wanting a little bling on their spur...? Regardless, in my opinion this spur has some character!

Although there's no way of knowing the date of the coin since the date stamp has been cut away, it seems most likely to be a "Matron Head", possibly a "Braided Hair" type made from 1840 to 1857.
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Here's a brief history of the American Large Cent coin...

UNITED STATES LARGE CENTS
(1793-1857)


One of the first coins struck at the U.S. Mint was the Large Cent. This large, clunky copper coin was struck from 1793 to 1857, inclusive, with the exception of 1815, when a fire forced the closing of the Mint.

Three design types appeared in 1793, each an attempted improvement over the previous.

The first design, known as the 1793 "Chain" Cent, features a low-relief head of Liberty with fine, flowing locks of hair. The reverse shows a chain of fifteen links, connected in a never-ending loop. Initial reaction to the coins was quite negative: Liberty appeared to be in a fright and the chain was seen by many as representing bondage and slavery as opposed to strength and union.

As a result, Liberty's hair was strengthened and the chain was replaced with a wreath. Known as the 1793 "Wreath" Cent, this design fared little better than its predecessor and was soon replaced.

The "Liberty Cap" design turned out to be a little more enduring. Minted from 1794 to 1796, this design type is full of interesting varieties, many of them rare. In 1795, the weight of the Large Cent was reduced and the edge lettering was replaced with a plain edge. Some of the 1797 Large Cents have a curious "Gripped Edge."

In 1796, the "Draped Bust" design appeared. This type was minted until 1807. Rare dates in this type include the elusive 1799 and the popular 1804.

The "Classic Head" Large Cent ran from 1808 to 1814. Although none of the dates are rare, they are hard to find in nice condition.

The "Matron Head" design appeared in 1816 and lasted until 1839. Scarce dates include 1821 and 1823. Known as "Middle Dates", this series contains many interesting varieties that are of great interest to a large number of collectors. Certain rare varieties can be worth hundreds or thousands of dollars.

The final design type is the "Braided Hair" type of 1840 to 1857. The last year is both scarce as a date and popular as the last year of the denomination.

In 1857, the Large Cent was replaced by the new Small Cent, a much more manageable (but less impressive) coin.

If anyone has a better idea as to the potential date & type of coin, and/or the possibility of how the spur came to have a coin for a rowel, I would love to hear your theory... Would also love to see or hear about any other examples you might have of "money" being used for something else besides money... :happy:

Thanks!
 
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Here's a pic of the reverse side of the rowel...
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Near the top the "O" and "C" from the words "One Cent" can be seen, and the bottom point of the Star has the letter "R" from the word America. The "I" from the word "United" can also be seen at the 10 o'clock position. The coin-rowel is roughly oriented as follows:
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Anyway, I think @Mike Serpa has got it right with his "two cents" worth of opinion, although I'd be happy to "give a penny for your thoughts" if anyone thinks otherwise... :thumbsup:
 
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