Engraved Coins, Love Tokens, and Coin Jewelry

Engraved Railroad Badge Fashioned out of an 1859-Dated Liberty Seated Half Dollar.

The reverse of the host coin depicts an intricate pictorial engraving of a rail car in the center with people on it, surrounded by W.R. FISH above and CHAMPAIGN ILL below. Above the rail car is engraved smoke and on the rail car is CHICAGO DIV. ILLINOIS CENTRAL / 2050 CHAMPAIGN SECTION. There is a scalloped border at the periphery of the coin. W. R. Fish was probably a conductor, brakeman or section hand with the railroad. As can be seen, the coin originally had a pinback, but it has been removed, as many were over the years.

From the Steve M. Tompkins Collection.

Estimate: $ 250