1860 FIREMAN'S MEDAL
In his monograph "Alfred S. Robinson - Hartford Numismatist"
J. Doyle DeWitt
describes this medalet as having been issued by Robinson with the dies
cut by Robert Lovett Jr.. This seems odd since all the other Robinson
issues were engraved by Joseph H. Merriam and Robert's brother George H.
but the initials R.L. do appear below the fire fighter's statue.
According to Robinson's own published list they were struck in the
following compositions and quantities: silver - 20, copper - 10,000,
brass - 2,000, tin - 250, silvered brass - 350, nickel - 50. SCUST list
the copper piece
as Pa 780 and then
states "this medalet is known in brass, silver, and other metals".
Although this piece was engraved by a Philadelphia engraver
would it not be better listed as a Hartford, Connecticut issue?
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1860 Robinson's Fireman's Medal
PA 780, copper, 30mm
Brass, 30mm
Silver, 30mm
Tin (white metal), 31.1mm
Silvered tin (78% tin, 22% silver), 31.1mm
Silvered copper ( 85.15% copper, 14.85% silver), 30mm
Nickel, 30mm
IMAGE NEEDED
Copper nickel (91.43% copper, 8.42% nickel, .15% zinc), 31.1mm
DeWitt does not list this as having been struck in this metal. Could it be the "nickel" variety he mentions?
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Civil War Patriotic Cover
Although these
tokens were struck before the start of the Civil War it has an
interesting connection to another Robert Jr. piece, the Marshall House
Hotel token, and Colonel Elmer Ellsworth who was killed there. Colonel
Ellsworth is also well known for recruiting volunteer New York City fire
fighters to serve in his New York Fireman Zouve Regiment, organized
just days after Lincoln's call on
April 15, 1861 for 75,000 volunteers to join the Union Army.
Ellsworth was a
commander of a local militia in Chicago and had become fascinated with
the elite French infantry that had served in the Crimean War. The Zouves
wore elaborate and garish uniforms consisting of brightly colored baggy
pants and short jackets, similar to the outfits on these tokens. He
organized his militia into a precision drill team dressed in these
outfits and began touring American cities. With war on the horizon
Ellsworth was planning on organizing other Zouve units to get the North
ready. When Lincoln's call for volunteers went out he immediately went
to New York and placed notices in the city's newspapers calling for
firefighters to join his new unit. By early May a unit of 1,100 men was
stationed in Washington D.C. When asked why firefighters he replied "I
want the New York Fireman for there are no more effective men in the
country and none with whom I can do so much. Our friends at Washington
are sleeping on a volcano and I want men who are ready at any moment to
plunge into the thickest of the fight"
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New York Fireman Zouve Regiment
1888 Peekskill Fireman's Token
White metal, 31.3mm
1889 Newburgh, N.Y. Fireman's Token
Aluminum, 31.5mm
1890 Paterson Exempt Fireman's Association Medal
Aluminum, 31.5mm
The obverse on these pieces appear to be Robert Jr's design
with a few changes (the wreath replacing the inscription,
buttons missing, etc.). Since he was no longer alive I would
guess that his brother, George H., obtained the obverse die
and muled it with his own. If anyone knows of other examples
please contact me.