Show early american silversmiths served their country or their communities t ea many early american silversmiths it is well known took prom ment parts in the public affairs of their times and served their coun try or their communities ably and well writes stephen decatur in the american collector in this connect tion of course the name of col paul revere of boston comes first to mind although new york cannot boast of having produced a silversmith of corresponding fame nevertheless in the person of ephraim brasher it possessed a member of the craft who was able at a critical time to render services to his fellow citi zens which if not spectacular were of almost inestimable value with the close of the revolution ary war and the recognition of the independence of the united states business in the new nation was at a standstill As it attempted to re ive an acute shortage of hard money developed which seriously hampered the efforts of the mer chants consequently gold and sil ver coins became profitable to im port every vessel making a sue suc voyage to a foreign port brousha back foreign coinage and this money immediately passed into circulation such a heterogeneous currency offered a great opportunity to coun by 1786 the country was flooded with bogus coins at the time ep brasher was a leading silversmith ver smith and jeweler of new york fortunately he was also an expert on precious metals and this knowledge enabled him to pass on the genuineness of coins he soon conceived the idea of stamping each good piece which passed through his hands with a punch he used for the silver of his manufacture this mark was E B in a rectangle brasher s rep for probity was ungues tinned it was immediately recognized that his initials on a gold or silver coin were a guarantee of its purity |