3001

Colorado. Victor. 1900 Jos. Lesher’s Referendum Souvenir Medal or Dollar. Zerbe-1, HK-787. Rarity-6.

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:2,000.00 USD Estimated At:4,000.00 - 6,000.00 USD
Colorado. Victor. 1900 Jos. Lesher’s Referendum Souvenir Medal or Dollar. Zerbe-1, HK-787. Rarity-6.
SOLD
2,000.00USD+ buyer's premium (400.00)
This item SOLD at 2020 Feb 28 @ 19:33UTC-5 : EST/CDT
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Colorado. Victor. 1900 Jos. Lesher’s Referendum Souvenir Medal or Dollar. Zerbe-1, HK-787. Rarity-6. AU-58 NGC. Serial No. 28.

Dies as illustrated. A high-grade and low-numbered survivor from the first attempt in 1900 by Joseph Lesher, a resident of Victor, Colorado, to instigate a token or medallic “coinage” that would catch the interest of Free Silver advocates. One of 100 pieces reportedly struck, with just 50 recorded survivors. The warm silver surfaces of this barely circulated example are alight with champagne-gold highlights throughout, and the somewhat reflective fields are notably free of distracting marks. Even the high, squared rims of this softly lustrous octagon are free of marks of consequence. (Lesher intentionally misspelled “currency” as “curency,” apparently in the hope that he could argue that curency and currency were two different things, but the Secret Service was unimpressed. The word was dropped on later issues.) Choice for the grade.
NGC Census: 1; 4 finer (MS-64 finest). This Type was the inaugural Joseph Lesher Referendum Souvenir, first publicized in the Victor Daily Record on November 13, 1900. They were probably produced by the Denver Novelty Works of Denver and the dies were made by engraver Frank Hurd. The obverse reads: “Jos. Leshers Referendum Souvenir One OZ of coin Silver Price 1.25 MFGD Victor Colo. 1900,” while the reverse reads: “A Commodity Will Give In Exchange Curency Coin or Merchandise at Face Value No.”
All “First Type” medals are 35mm, weight one ounce, and bear the price of $1.25. The numbers are engraved rather then punched and only 100 pieces were stuck because Lesher wanted to first sell them as souvenirs and see if his “scheme” as he called it would catch on.



Grading Company: NGC AU58

Pedigree/Collection: From the William C. Henderson - Christopher Marchase Collection of Lesher Referendum Souvenir Medals. Previously from the Whiteley Collection.