Coins; Medals; Money; Numismatics; Prisoners of war
Two more of Sage’s tokens have undertaken to memorialize other Civil War
prisons. In design and execution they are similar to the tokens
described here. No. 2 of Sage’s “Historical Token” series pictures on
its obverse a large building and has the following inscription: CITY
HALL, WALL ST. N. Y. ERECTED IN 1700/ DEMOLISHED/ 1812. The obverse is
very similar to that of No. 3 A, the uncorrected No. 1 of Sage’s
historical series, two skull and bones emblems having been added. A
specimen is in the author’s collection. I. N. Phelps Stokes’
_Iconography of Manhattan Island: 1498-1909_ (Vol. VI, 1928. p. 539, s.
v. City Hall) does not give, however, any evidence that this building
was used as a British prison during the Revolution. It is different in
the case of _Livingston’s Sugar-House_. which was located on the South
side of Liberty Street, New York City, adjoining the Dutch Church
graveyard east of Nassau Street. This building was chosen by Mr. Sage as
the subject of another token, No. 2 in his series “Odds and Ends,”
executed in the very same manner as all the other tokens. Its obverse
bears the inscription: OLD SUGAR HOUSE LIBERTY ST., N. Y. FOUNDED 1689/
DEMOLISHED 1840.
2. Historical Medals
In contrast to the aforementioned tokens, No. 6 and No. 7 are historical
medals in the specific meaning of this term. No description or mention
of either of them have come to this writer’s attention.
The medal No. 6 measures forty-four millimetres in diameter and was
struck in silver, bronze, and white metal. The American Numismatic
Society has a specimen of each type in its collection. The obverse shows
the “Old Sugar House, Rose Street, N. Y.,” a large five-story building,
of which the front and side are visible. The space between the third and
fourth story of the front is occupied by the number 1763, the year of
its foundation, as the legend says. The space between the uppermost
window on the gable front and the two lower windows has as inscription
these letters: BRS. All windows are grated. Above the representation of
the building one reads the following half-circular inscription: OLD
SUGAR HOUSE ROSE ST. N. Y. Below, there appears this inscription:
FOUNDED 1763 DEMOLISHED 1892. On the reverse the half-circular legend, A
BRITISH PRISON, is placed above a small representation of the frontside
of the gable. The latter shows the uppermost window in the highest
corner, and underneath two more grated windows in a row. Above the left
window the initial I, above the right one the initial S are visible. The
lower part of the reverse is occupied by a key in horizontal situation
being the ill-famed prison-key, underneath shackles are placed. The
ornamental arrangement is in symmetrical correspondence with that in the
upper part. In the middle of the space one reads in two lines: DURING
THE/ REVOLUTION.
[Illustration: No. 6
Old Sugar House, Rose Street, New York]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account