Medal US Confederate Seal (Fakes are possible) 1872 to Date

The seal of the Confederate States of America (the 'South') was designed and created by Joseph S. Wyon in London. He also designed the Great Seal of England. The Seal shows George Washington on horseback, surrounded by the South's principle crops: tobacco, cotton, rice, sugar cane, corn, and wheat. The outside edge bears the inauguration date of Jefferson Davis as President of the CSA. The motto DEO VINDICE means GOD WILL VINDICATE.

Older renditions of the Seal are found in electrotype, an electrical and chemical process of the 1800s that formed metal parts to reproduce a non-metallic model. In this case the model was of the CSA Seal, and the metal was copper. Original electrotypes of the CSA Seal are quite valuable.

The electrotype in our main picture (circa 1872, shown at upper left) comes from Heritage Auctions where it sold for $3290 in a 2016 auction. CoinQuest thanks Heritage for use of its photo.

To evaluate a specific CSA Seal piece, it is first necessary to determine precisely what you've got, as many variations are possible. This usually takes an in-person inspection by a professional, often an antique dealer. We can give general guidance for value based on the composite graphic below.

The (A) and (B) pieces are the front and back of an original electrotype. Note the back shows a mirror image of the front, as is typical for electrotypes. Values for original (1800s) electrotypes vary with size (usually 3 to 4 inches diameter) and state of preservation. The (A) and (B) images show a copper electrotype that has been plated with silver. Gold plating is also seen. The plating adds no value.

ORIGINAL ELECTROTYPES (A) AND (B)
worn or damaged: $500 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $1000
well preserved: $2000
fully uncirculated: $4000

(C) is a bronze paperweight. It sells for $20 to $30 retail. A dealer might pay $5 to $10 for one.

Images (D) and (E) depict a novelty half dollar in silver. These are sometimes added to coin collections:

NOVELTY HALF DOLLAR (D) AND (E)
worn: $3 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $4
well preserved: $6
fully uncirculated: $12

(F) is an enamel lapel pin, worth a few dollars. (G) is a crude gift token made of non-precious metal. It is also worth a few dollars.

Finally, the (H) image shows a large (4 inch) sterling silver medal containing about 11 troy ounces of silver. It is a beautiful piece with plenty of collector appeal. A collector might pay $2000 for it, maybe more.
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