On December 15, 2024, Wayne Homren wrote to suggest I might write about the various privatemints that struck medals. Shortly after that I got the TAMS publication Encased Coin ProductionRecords of the Osborne Coinage Company. After months without Coin World, I got theDecember issue with an ad for the Osborne Mint, "The Oldest Privately Held Mint in the USA."Then the December 29 issue of The E-Sylum had an announcement of the TAMS book. I decidedto write my first article on Osborne.

The company traces its origin back to 1835 and Z. Bisbee Co. a/k/a Bisbee Stamp Cutting Shopin Cincinnati, Ohio. The Cincinnati city directory for 1849-1850 lists the location on the southside of Canal Street between Race and Elm in Cincinnati. This was not a private mint.

Ziba Bisbee was born on March 17, 1792, in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, the son of JohnBisbee (1747-1817) and Mary Edson (1772-1833). He was married to Serena Lincoln (1797-1860) on April 9, 1814. For the 1820 census, he was still living in Bridgewater. In 1827, he wasmaking cast steel shovels in East Bridgewater. By the 1850 Census, taken July 16, 1850, he wasa stamp cutter in Cincinnati. On August 28, 1862, he married Sarah A. Thatcher in Lyndon,Wisconsin. He died on February 22, 1865, in Juneau, Wisconsin, and is buried at Lake DeltonCemetery.

Ira Bisbee, son of Ziba, took over the company, Z. Bisbee & Son, in 1848. He was located at 112Fifth Street between Pine and Race Streets.

Ira Bisbee was born in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, on July 31, 1831, the son of Ziba andSerena Bisbee. He was married to Sarah Ann Denny (1837-1891) in Ohio on December 31,1851. By the 1860 Census, he was living in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, He died on August 22,1892, in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, and is buried at Evergreen Cemetery.

Ira joined John Stanton to create Bisbee & Stanton in 1851, located at 249 West Fifth Street.

John Stanton was born in Orange County, New York, on March 9, 1829, and moved toCincinnati in 1851. He worked for Ira Bisbee and bought the company in 1853. He was marriedto Katherine F. Carr (1842-1929). He died in Cincinnati on September 10, 1921, and is buried atSpring Grove Cemetery.

John Stanton was independent from 1853 until 1864 and employed William W. Spencer andJames Murdock, Jr. In 1864 he sold out to his employees to form Murdock & Spencer, locatedat 139 West Fifth Street in Cincinnati. Stanton continued to work at the new firm until at least1876. The combined efforts of Stanton, Murdock and Spencer produced many Civil War tokens.

William W. Spencer was born in Cork, Ireland, on December 30, 1839, and moved to Cincinnatiin 1849. He was married to Mary Anna Coates (1842-1904). He died in Cincinnati on May 20,1910, and is buried at Spring Grove Cemetery.

James Murdock, Jr. was independent from 1869 until 1920. From 1875 to 1887, he was locatedat 165 Race Street. The James Murdock Jr. Company dates to 1906. He retired in 1911 andpassed the company on to his son, Winslow. The W. James Murdock Co., was at 116 OperaPlace.

James Murdock, Jr. was born in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on November 15, 1839. Hisfamily came to America about 1850 and settled in Cincinnati. He served as a musician during theCivil War. He was married in 1903 to Susan Foster Phelps (1848-1920). He died in Price Hill.Ohio, on December 22, 1924, and is buried at Spring Grove Cemetery.

Winslow James Murdock was born in Cincinnati on September 7, 1872, son of James. He wasmarried to Anna Hecker Murdock (1879-1958). He died on February 19, 1956, and is buried atSpring Grove Cemetery.

Wiley W. Osborne acquired the company in 1920.

Wiley W. Osborne was born in Wise, Virginia, on November 11, 1890. He was married onNovember 6, 1915, and divorced in 1933. He worked as an engineer for the Consolidated CoalCompany in Jenkins, Kentucky. There he developed the idea for the Osborne Register Company.After leaving Consolidated, he joined his brothers in a coal mining company. He created theOsborne Register Company in Cincinnati in 1920. They merged with other companies andexpanded into other product lines. He was married to Mary (1907-1984). He died on April 5,1981, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and is buried at Lauderdale Memorial Park.

In 1944, the company was sold to Dayton Acme Company. In 1945 they were at 2346 GilbertAvenue. In 1947 the name was changed to the Osborne Coinage Company. They were located at2851 Massachusetts Avenue in Camp Washington, Ohio. By 1950, Dayton Acme and OsborneRegister became bankrupt.

In 1947, The Osborne Coinage Company was incorporated with 500 shares of stock issued toClifford F. Stegman, Duane T. Winter and Fred D. Orelup, formerly working at Dayton Acme.Winter died in 1969 and Orelup died in 1966.

The Doran Manufacturing Co. is a related company at the same location.

Clifford Fred Stegman, Sr, was born in Cincinnati on July 18, 1902. He was the son of EdwardHenry Stegman (1868-1926) and Minnie Bartling Stegman (1878-1955). He was married in 1928to Marguerite Alice Miller. He retired in 1972, passing control to his son Clifford. He died inCincinnati on August 30, 1981, and is buried at Spring Grove Cemetery.

Clifford Fred Stegman, Jr. was born in Cincinnati on July 6, 1929. He was married to BertieMae Cuthbert. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Engineering in 1952.He started working at Osborne in 1962. He left the Osborne Coinage Co. in 1986 to start asoftware firm, Exodus Software. Control of the firm passed to his brother Thomas. He died athome in Finneytown on December 11, 1994, and is buried at Arlington Memorial Gardens atMount Healthy., Ohio.

Thomas E. Stegman was born in 1930 and had a degree in physics from Cincinnati University.He began working at Osborne in 1965. He took control of the company in 1986. He passedcontrol to his sons Jeffrey and Todd. Some sources continue to list him as president. He was lastreported living in Cincinnati.

Jeffrey James Stegman was born in 1956, the son of Thomas. He graduated from the Universityof Michigan. He may have been married more than once or may be confused with anotherJeffrey Stegman.

Todd R. Stegman was born in 1958, son of Thomas, He graduated from Cornell University. Hewas married in 1983 to Cathy Cromer. Todd is described as co-owner and COO of Osborne.

The Royal United Mint acquired the company on April 3. 2023. In turn, the Royal United Mintwas acquired by The Heimerle + Meule Group, a German company, on January 25, 2024. TheOsborne website does not mention this.

Next Week: Some contrarian comments.

To read some earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
OSBORNE MINT(https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v06n42a14.html)
THE OSBORNE COINAGE COMPANY(https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v06n43a04.html)
THE OSBORNE COINAGE COMPANY OF CINCINNATI, OH(https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v14n31a05.html)
OSBORNE COINAGE SOLD TO BELGIAN COMPANY(https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n15a17.html)
NEW BOOK: OSBORNE COINAGE CO. RECORDS(https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n52a05.html)