1858 Atlantic Cable Completion Medals
and Tokens
Silver, 51.2mm
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Before the
laying of a trans-Atlantic telegraph cable it took over a week for news
to travel between Europe and America. In 1854 New York City businessman
Cyrus W. Field became interested in the idea of a cable connecting the
Continents and a 50 year charter was obtained from the federal
government as well as funding from both American and British sources.
The first
efforts to lay the cable began in 1857 with problems encountered from
the beginning. Finally the project was completed on August 5th, 1858; on
August 16 Queen Victoria sent a 98 word message to President Buchanan
that took 16 hours to transmit. Service was sketchy and interruptions
common but the engineers were confident these could be problems could
eventually be solved.
Commercial
operations were to begin on September 1 to coincide with a large
celebration to be held in honor of Cyrus Field. But the cable was still
not functioning properly and the last clear transmission was received on
the day of the celebration. After this only garbled and incomplete
messages could be received or sent. Any hope of repair was abandoned and
a functioning cable would not be completed until 1866
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Cyrus W. Field Medal - 1st Reverse, no date
Copper, 51.2mm
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White metal, 51.2mm
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Silver, 51.2mm
IMAGE NEEDED
Cyrus W. Field Medal - 2nd Reverse, with date
Copper, 51.4mm
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White metal, 51mm
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Silver, 51.2mm
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Gold, 51.2mm
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(image courtesy of The MET)
The gold medal that was presented to Cyrus W. Field is currently
in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
given to the museum by Field himself in 1892.
The gold medal that was presented to Cyrus W. Field is currently
in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
given to the museum by Field himself in 1892.
John Bull - Brother Jonathan Medalet
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George H. Lovett produced these medalets for sale to numismatist and
the general public; exact mintages are not known but it must have been
in the hundreds. John Bull, on the left, represented England with
Brother Jonathan, an early version of Uncle Sam, on the right
representing America. Notice this perspective is different than most
with England on the left as if the viewer is in the Arctic rather than
on the Equator.
George H. muled both of these dies with several others including his own storecards. |
Silver, 31mm
Not listed in SCUST but a silver version was in the PCAC Auction 51
IMAGE NEEDED
NY 493A, copper, 31mm
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NY 494, brass, 31mm
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NY 495, white metal, 31mm
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John Bull - Brother Jonathan Mules
Boy and Dog reverse, copper, 31mm
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(on line image)
Boy and Dog Reverse, white metal, 31mm
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| This muling is not listed by Rulau; I have not seen it in any other metals but copper and white metal. |
George H. Lovett Storecard reverse, NY 492, silver, 31mm
(IMAGE NEEDED)
George H. Lovett Storecard reverse, NY 492A, white metal, 31mm
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George H. Lovett Storecard reverse, NY 492B, brass, 31mm
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George H. Lovett Storecard reverse, NY 493, copper 31mm
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(image courtesy of Stacks Bowers)
Major General Winfield Scott reverse, DeWitt 1852-6(B), white metal, 31mm
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(image courtesy of Stacks Bowers)
Sullivan does not mention what metals these were struck in.
Atlantic Telegraph Mules
Boy and Dog reverse, NY 495B, silvered white metal, 31mm
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(image courtesy of Steve Hayden)
| Rulau only list a version in silvered white metal. The one in the ANS Collection is called white metal and this one was described as white metal. I have not seen strikings in any other metals. |
United We Stand reverse, NY 495C, white metal, 31mm
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Major General Winfield Scott reverse, DeWitt WS 185-6(A), white metal, 31mm
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(composite image)
