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Show Early American Silversmiths Served ServedTheir ServedTheir ServedTheir Their Country or Their Communities Many early American silversmiths s salver salversmiths ver versmiths smiths it is well known took promInent prom promment prominept ment inept parts in the public affairs oftheir of oftheir oftheir their times and served their country coun coup country couptry try or their communities ably and andweD andwell andwen weD well , , writes Stephen Decatur in the I , American Collector In connec connection connectlon tion tion , . , of course the name of Col CoLPaul CoLPaul Paul Revere of o1 Boston comes first firstto firstto firstto to mind . . Although New York cannot boast boastof boastof boastof IAlthough of having produced a silversmith of o1 ofcorrespondmg o1corresponding ofcorresponding correspondmg corresponding fame tame nevertheless in inthe inthe inthe the person of Ephralm EphraIm Brasher it itpossessed itpossessed itpossessed possessed a member ot of the craftwho craft craftwho craftwho who was able at a critical time torender to torender torender render services to bis his fellow citizens clti citi cltizens citizens zens which . , it if not spectacular , wereof were wereof wereo1 of o1 almost aImost inestimable value valueWith valueWith valueWith With the close of the Revolutionary Revolution Revolutionary Revolutionary ary war and the recognition of o1 theIndependence the theindependence theindependence independence of the United Umted Statesbusiness States StatesbusIness Statesbusiness busIness in n the new nation was at astandstill a astandstill astandstill standstill . . As it attempt"d attemptd " to re revive re- re revive revive - - vive an acute shortage of hard hardmoney hardmoney hardmoney money developed which seriously seriouslyhampered seriouslyhampered seriouslyhampered hampered the efforts of the mer met merchants metchants merchants chants Consequently ConsequenUy gold and sll sil sllver silver zilver ver coins coms became profitable to im urn import urnport import port . . Ever Every , . vessel making makmg a sue suecessful suecessful BUCcessful cessful voyage to a foreign port portbrouiht portbrought portbrought brouiht brought back foreign forelen coinage COInaie and thia thiJ this money immediately passed intocirculation intocirculationSuch into intocIrculation intocirculation cIrculation cIrculationSuch Such a heterogeneous currency offered of offered offeted fered feted a great opportunity to counterfeiters coun coup countedelters coupterfeiters tedelters terfeiters By 1788 1786 the country waa was waaflooded wasflooded wa waflooded flooded with bogus coins At tho the thotime thetime thotime time Ep Brasher was a leading leadmg III all IIIversmith allversmith illversmith versmith and jeweler of o1 New York York.fortunately Yorkfortunately . . Fortunately , ho he was also an expert experton experton on precious metals and nnd this knowl know1- know1 know- know know1edglS knowedge knowledge - ? - edge edglS enabled him to pass on the thegenuineness thegenuineness thegenuineness genuineness of coinsHe coinsHe coins coinsHe He soon loon conceived the Idea of ofltamping ofstamping otttamping ltamping stamping each good piece which whichpassed whichpassed whichpassed passed through his hands with apunch a . apunch punch he used for the silver ofhis of o1 ofhis o1his his manufacture This mark waE waa was waaE wasE * E B in a rectangle Brasher I s * rep rep- reputation reputation . - utation utatlon tor for probity was unques unquel- unquel unques- unquestioned unqueltioned unquestioned - tioned , it was immediately recog recog- recognized reco- reco reconJzed recognized , - nized nJzed that bis hIs Initials oa on a gold orsilver or orsilver orsilver silver coin com were a guarantee of itpurity ita its itapurit itspurity * purit purity , . |
