1635

Historically Important 1922 U.S. Mint Receipt to Henry Chapman for Payment of the Bechtler Restrikes

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Historically Important 1922 U.S. Mint Receipt to Henry Chapman for Payment of the Bechtler Restrikes
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Historically Important 1922 U.S. Mint Receipt to Henry Chapman for Payment of the Bechtler Restrikes
THE UNITED STATES MINT paper receipt dated March 29, 1922 of approximately 8” X 8 ½” size hand signed by Superintendent A.G. Williamson to numismatist Henry Chapman of Philadelphia, Pa. for the payment of what would ultimately be 24 gold Bechtler Restrikes. The first line of the ledger is typed:
“For Ten (10) gold –Bechtler Medals. $74.88”
The next line is written in pen and clearly represents an additional purchase:
“999 fine at $20.6718 4.30 ozs. Sold
$88.89
Labor 10.80
---------------------
$99.69”
The receipt is quite sharp and bright for almost a century old and the ink is quite vivid. A couple of very light vertical and one horizontal fold. The left corners are sharp and the right edge a bit ragged as one might expect from being clearly torn out of a ledger book.
Until the discovery of this document, the exact date and circumstances for the striking of these coins from original Bechtler dies was a mystery. Now we have evidence that in early March, 1922, numismatist Henry Chapman brought three original Bechtler $5 dies (one obverse [K-29], one C. Bechtler reverse [K-16] and one A. Bechtler reverse [K-27]), to the Philadelphia Mint and convinced employees there to produce from them proof strikings made from .999-fine gold planchets.
We can reason that Chapman first had the Mint test the dies by striking at least one die combination (a K-29 obverse with a K-16 reverse) on a brass planchet. That piece was then gilded to see what a gold piece might look like. [Listed as lot 1636 In this catalog].
Mint “medals” typically were composed of .999-fine gold as noted on the receipt. By adding the first ten pieces to the hand written additional amount (which would account for 14 Bechtler $5 specimens with each containing a little less than a third of an ounce of gold metal--146 grains) we arrive at a total of 24 pieces struck at the Mint from the three original dies. Interestingly, there are a dozen specimens known from each die pair [see lots 1637 and 1638].
This is certainly one of the most important documents related to Bechtler coinage if not the entire Pioneer gold series.

Ex: From the Allen Collection.