Collect Lincoln
Guides
Reference material for collectors of Lincoln-era Americana, written from the pieces themselves rather than repeated from price lists.
Provenance
What 'Ex DeWitt' Means on a Campaign Medal
A line reading Ex. J. Doyle DeWitt on a certification label means the medal in the holder traces back to the collection of the man who wrote the catalog those medals are numbered by. DeWitt assembled more than 25,000 pieces of American political material, published the descriptive list collectors still cite, and left the collection to the University of Hartford. Understanding that line tells you where a piece has been, why its catalog number exists, and why it reached the market when it did.
7 min read
Collecting Basics
Why One Campaign Medal Exists in Several Metals
A campaign medal catalog number describes a design, not an object. The same dies were regularly used to strike the design in brass, copper, white metal and gilt, and each of those is a separate collectible piece with its own scarcity, its own grade and its own price. Reading a catalog number without reading the metal alongside it is the most common way collectors buy the wrong medal.
7 min read
Grading
What a 'Details' Grade Means on a Campaign Medal
A holder reading UNC Details or XF Details is telling you two separate things: the piece is genuine, and something about it prevented a numeric grade. Cleaning is the most common cause, followed by damage such as bending, mounting or corrosion. The label states the problem plainly, and on scarce campaign material a Details piece is often the only way to own a design at all.
7 min read