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   | Ask Mark Parker | Vol. 34 - June 2000 |
THE GEYSER GUYS
Q. This Camp Sheridan, Wyoming 5¢ token was found at a site in southeast Kansas. Can you offer any information concerning its history and value?
A. Established in 1886 to protect Yellowstone National Park, Camp Sheridan was located at Mammoth Hot Springs in the northern part of the park. In 1891, it became Fort Yellowstone and remained an active post until about 1918. Your token, which predates the name change, is therefore 109-114 years old. In addition to 5¢, denominations of 10¢, 25¢, and $1 have been reported, each listing for $250 or more. Perhaps we'd better underscore the or more, since your follow-up letter reports that this find brought $430 in an internet auction.
Note: It's important to point out that cyberspace is often out of sync with traditional collectors' markets, and at both ends of the spectrum. For example, an authentic slave tag worth perhaps $3,000 recently sold for just hundreds, while bogus ones of embarrassingly bad quality have brought about as much. In another instance, a broken watch fob fetched nearly $150, twice the price of an identical fob in very fine condition. At present, estimated values published in this column come primarily from conservative, non-internet sources. However, readers should be aware of, and explore, all options.
A REAL HORACE RACE
Q. After finding this token at an old house site, I did some research and believe it to be from the presidential campaign of Horace Greeley. Is this correct, or is it some sort of replica or commemorative? Also, is the hole at the top considered damage, or was the token made that way?
A. Your find's the real deal, all right... an 1872 political medalet issued in support of Horace Greeley. An influential publisher perhaps best known for popularizing the phrase, "Go West, young man," Greeley was also one of the founders of the Republican Party. However, he opposed the administration and policies of President Ulysses S. Grant, also a Republican, and for that reason Greeley accepted the nominations of both the Liberal Republicans and the Democrats in 1872. Grant easily won reelection, though, and Greeley died shortly thereafter. As for the medalet, there are several varieties (brass, gilt, silvered), including a scarcer one with the word AMNESTY upright, rather than inverted, beneath the eagle. These pieces were typically looped for suspension, so the hole doesn't affect the value, which is about $40-50, VF.
CROSSING SWORDS
Q. During WWII, my grandfather found this Nazi medal after a battle and decided to keep it as a reminder of the conflict. The reverse is the same, except that in the center there is the date 1939. Actual size is approximately 1-7/8", and the medal's golden finish is wearing through to a gray metal alloy. Can you identify it?
A. It's a German War Merit Cross, awarded for bravery (signified by crossed swords) and service (no swords) apart from direct combat, and considered somewhat less prestigious than the famed Iron Cross. The First Class, with silver finish, was a badge type (pin-backed) medal. Yours is the Second Class, bronze finish, worn on a ribbon. Gray metal indicates a late war issue. Current price guides list the Second Class with swords at $30.
OUT OF TRAINING
Q. I've been told that this item is a railway baggage claim tag, but haven't been able to determine which railway issued it, or when. It is stamped "P.C. & ST L. R.W. 16384 LOCAL*" and, in tiny letters above the hole, "W. W. Wilcox, Chicago." Your help would appreciated.
A. It's from the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railway, a line founded in 1868. Much of the P.C. & St. L.'s route was leased rather than owned, and in 1890 was combined with other lines to form the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway. So, even if it remained in use after the merger, your baggage check/tag certainly dates back more than a century. W. W. Wilcox, the firm whose mark appears at the top, was a leading manufacturer/supplier of such tags in that era. What's it worth? At least $100, according to expert collector Jack Lucas. Incidentally, Jack welcomes offers or inquiries from readers who have baggage tags and other railroad-related items (badges, marked keys, locks, and lanterns, etc.), especially from older Western lines. Just be sure to enclose a SASE and mention Western & Eastern Treasures when you write to him at P.O. Box 391, Moraga, CA 94556. E-mail: bj620@aol.com Thanks, Jack!
UPSY-DAISY
Q. Are you familiar with this "Official Shooting Education B*B Gun by Daisy" medallion? Is it a token, a shooting award, or what? Also, how old is it? I don't remember seeing anything like it when I got my first BB gun.
A. Neither do I... and, at least in my case, it turns out there's a good reason why. Despite its old-fashioned appearance, this decorative disk came along decades after I last shouldered the ol' "Red Ryder" carbine and headed intrepidly down the town ditch in search of adventure. In fact, it's from the Daisy Shooting Education series begun in 1976 with the Model 499. The Model 499-B was introduced in 1981, and production continues today. The medallions (designer unknown) are applied to the stocks of air rifles by means of an adhesive process, according to a Daisy spokesperson. Collectable? Not really... but it's the kind of find that tends to bring back a lot of good memories, and that's more than enough to make it a keeper.
TAKE YOUR PICK
Q. While searching at a c. 1900 horse racetrack in North Dakota, I found several unusual tools, including this 4" iron one which looks like a miniature pick. Do you have any idea what it might be?
A. Actually, most of the answer's in your question: it's a hoof pick, a tool used to remove embedded stones and other foreign objects from a horse's hoof. As you can imagine, these were pretty common back then, and even today you can buy one for a few dollars. The fact that yours is evidently hand-forged might nudge it up to, say, $10-15 as dug; but probably its main value is as an artifact of the track and locality where you found it.
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