Owner Comments:
MASONIC ISSUE APPEARANCE/CONDITION:
Choice Uncirculated+ — Designated “Red-Brown” by NGC - Overstrike or Trails Obverse
*Handsome overall specimen that exhibits deep orange surfaces. Appears as though this example could have graded RED; however, this is at NGC’s discretion. Their formal guide states 85-90%+ original luster must be remaining. To me, it certainly appears that way. However, the keystone on the reverse looks potentially brownish? Even if that’s the case, it’s still a close call. — There is also a very unique aspect to this coin. When looking closely at 2:00 on the obverse, what appears to be an “F” can be seen between the “E” in “CHAPTER” and the “T” in “SEPTEMBER.” This can be seen with the naked eye and clearly adds both historical character and rarity to the specimen.*
MASONIC ISSUE BACKGROUND:
Issued in recognition of the Masonic Chapter from Walsenburg, Colorado Chapter #27, which is not a common town considering it no longer exists. Struck in copper and dated 1892. — I am lucky to own 2 examples of this specimen. Both have exhibit the Overstrike and/or Trails error on the obverse. The second is pending grading with NGC.
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COLORADO CHAPTERS:
Utilizing various resources such a King, as well as my own sought out research, I have attempted to document “all” Masonic Chapters within Colorado. If 63 chapters, only 2 are missing. The list is as follows:
- Chapter 1: Central City, CO
- Chapter 2: Denver, CO
- Chapter 3: Pueblo, CO
- Chapter 4: Georgetown, CO
- Chapter 5: Golden, CO
- Chapter 6: Colorado Springs, CO
- Chapter 7: Boulder, CO
- Chapter 8: Longmont, CO
- Chapter 9: Lake City, CO
- Chapter 10: Leadville, CO
- Chapter 11: Fort Collins; Cache La Poudre Chapter, CO
- Chapter 12: Pueblo; South Pueblo Chapter, CO
- Chapter 13: Greeley, CO
- Chapter 14: Canon City, CO
- Chapter 15: Durango; San Juan Chapter, CO
- Chapter 16: Gunnison, CO
- Chapter 17: Salida, CO
- Chapter 18: Alamosa; San Luis Valley Chapter, CO
- Chapter 19: Aspen; Keystone Chapter, CO
- Chapter 20: La Junta, CO
- Chapter 21: Ouray; Kilwinning Chapter, CO
- Chapter 22: Glenwood Springs; Glenwood Chapter, CO
- Chapter 23: Trinidad, CO
- Chapter 24: Grand Junction, CO
- Chapter 25: Montrose, CO
- Chapter 26: Akron, CO
- Chapter 27: Walsenburger, CO
- Chapter 28: Telluride, CO
- Chapter 29: Denver; Colorado Chapter, CO
- Chapter 30: Idaho Springs, CO
- Chapter 31: Fort Morgan, CO
- Chapter 32: Lamar; Orient, CO
- Chapter 33: Cripple Creek, CO
- Chapter 34: Steamboat Springs; Steamboat Chapter, CO
- Chapter 35: Florence, CO
- Chapter 36: Rocky Ford, CO
- Chapter 37: Meeker, CO
- Chapter 38: Delta, CO
- Chapter 39: Denver; Highlands Chapter, CO
- Chapter 40: Windsor, CO
- Chapter 41: Silverton, CO
- Chapter 42: South Denver, CO
- Chapter 43: Del Norte, CO
- Chapter 44: Loveland, CO
- Chapter 45: Colorado City; Euclid Chapter, CO
- Chapter 46: Paonia; Zion Chapter, CO
- Chapter 47: Sterling, CO
- Chapter 48: Rifle, CO
- Chapter 49: Las Animas, CO
- Chapter 50: Denver; Montview Chapter, CO
- Chapter 51: Brighton, CO
- Chapter 52: Limon, CO
- Chapter 53: Craig, CO
- Chapter 54: Silverton; Rhodonite Chapter, CO
- Chapter 55: Granby; Mountain Parks Chapter, CO
- Chapter 56: ?????
- Chapter 57: Littleton, CO
- Chapter 58: Englewood, CO
- Chapter 59: Cortez; Montelores Chapter, CO
- Chapter 60: ?????
- Chapter 61: Aurora, CO
- Chapter 62: Breckenridge, CO
- Chapter 63: Lakewood, CO
RARITY: Unknown; Likely rare - I have never seen another example
MASONIC ISSUE DESCRIPTION:
(Copper, 30mm, Round, Plain Edge)
OBVERSE: Walsenburg Chapter No. 27, R•A•M• - Walsenburg, Colo. / Chartered September 22nd / One / Penny / 1892
REVERSE: (Masonic Symbols-Outlined Light Textured Raised Keystone)
MASONIC ISSUE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
“Short History of Masonic Pennies:
Equitable pay was a major theme among Royal Arch Masons. When the Mason became a Royal Arch Mason, they earned a penny - the symbol of a Day's Wages. This evolved through the 1800s. In the early days a US or foreign coin was shaved and made into the Penny. We have found one on a 5 Franc coin that the Mason was a Union Colonel and died in 1861. Early datable ones are scarce. Many were engraved on US large cents. The date of the coin has no bearing on when the penny was made - most were 1880 - 1910. Engraved dates are often when the Mason became a Royal Arch Mason. The penny may have been engraved 20 or more years after the date.
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There were Stock Pennies beginning in the 1870s to present. Stock Pennies allowed a local jeweler to engrave the Mason's Penny. They were used by Chapters that could not afford the cost of a die or until they could get a die made.
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We do not know when the first Pennies were made from a Chapter Specific Die. We know there was a Mark Lodge Penny in 1880. There were several created in early 1890s. George H. Lovett was probably one of the first engraver of Masonic Chapter Pennies. He died in 1894. He made a dozen different pennies - all in Copper and Silver. All Lovett?s except the copper Washington Chapter No 2 from Houston are RARE.
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A Charter Date before 1890 is meaningless as to when the penny was made.
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Dr. B.F. Wright, fifth President of ANA, as the first to attempt to catalog the pennies in a series of Articles in The Numismatist (1901-04) - republished in 3 booklets. Wright lamented that the Masonic Chapters often would not furnish their pennies to fellow Masons. This opened the door for Masons to collect the pennies.
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A.E. King assembled the Alfred Hanauer Collection at the House of the Temple in Washington D.C. He then wrote letters to all the state Grand Chapters asking for Pennies. In the late 1920s he glued the pennies under glass and wrote Masonic Chapter Pennies. This King book was a major effort, but many of the pennies cannot be identified due to limits of 1920's technology and inability to observe the reverse.
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William Waken and Richard Watley undertook the massive project of inventorying the major collections. They included the King Collection (as best they could), Maurice Storck Collection, WW Gator, Waken and a few others. Their effort was also limited by current technology. They published their book in 2015 and it is an excellent source of relative Chapter rarity.
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In 2014, volunteers started the major effort of adding Masonic Pennies to tokencatalog.com. The 14,000 + pennies in the WW Gator Collection were scanned and about 20 volunteers added them. Tokencatalog.com now has 18,500 listings and we expect there will be 20-22,00 different pennies and shekels.” — Credited Source: Tom/Chattchoo