1861 - 1C Bashlow Confederate Cent second restrike Copper

1861 - 1C Bashlow Confederate Cent second restrike Copper. Supposedly someone from the Confederate government contacted the jewelry firm of Bailey & Co and requested they make a Confederate cent proof. Robert Lovlett, Jr. produced a flawless die with the head of Minerva along with Southern agricultural products. A dozen cents were struck but the makers hid the cents and dies out of fear of arrest. If you believe the story so far, the next part is suspect. Allegedly Lovlett Jr. got drunk at a bar and accidentally used one of these cents; that he protected, and hid, for fear of death and then somehow it ended up in the hands of a dealer in Philadelphia Edward Maris. Maris purchased the dies and had more coins struck in different metals. He then defaced the dies so his would be the only ones produced perfectly. Then in 1961 Robert Bashlow somehow got a hold of these dies, cleaned them up and struck more coins. This is one of those coins. In reality it all may be a scam to create the Confederates cent that was never produced in the first place or the story may be true. Either way this is a cool coin with an interesting story to tell.