2016-12-01 Thu

Less than 10 known examples of the 1858 medals honouring Paul Morphy, famous chess champion of America and Europe exist today. It is also the only American token that is related to chess. Even though the token is rare, it is valued at a very affordable price of $200 to $400.

After the Atlantic Cable was completed in August 1858 there was a craze to issue large medals measuring about 32 millimetres in diameter. These tokens are rare and highly sought after.

On 5th October 1858, the Crystal Palace was burned and medals of Sage’s Odds and Ends Series were issued. Another token was released featuring the Old Sugar House, a New York City building which the Britishers used for captive Yankees when they occupied the city. But these medals did not sell well.

Paul Morphy was featured on a third medal and advertised widely. Even then, the initial spark was lost and at the end, only a few Morphy tokens were made and sold, ending The Odds and Ends Series.