Preliminary identification
Photo reference
3 uploaded photos
Overview
This is a heavy, custom-machined brass presentation paperweight or desk memento featuring an embedded United States Kennedy Half Dollar on the top face. The underside is hand-engraved to Chief Warrant Officer 3 (CWO-3) John E. Siverly, commemorating his service aboard the historic Essex-class aircraft carrier USS Hancock from July 1970 to August 1973.
Story
Commissioned in 1944, the USS Hancock was a legendary aircraft carrier that fought from WWII to the fall of Saigon. This heavy brass memento was custom-machined by a shipmate in the carrier's machine shop as a deeply personal farewell gift.
Maker / Origin
This piece was crafted by an unnamed Navy machinist mate or metalworker aboard the USS Hancock. Shipboard machine shops possessed high-grade industrial lathes and scrap brass, allowing skilled sailors to create highly personalized 'trench art' farewell gifts for departing officers.
Condition & Value
The brass shows a warm, authentic aged patina with minor surface scuffs and tiny edge nicks consistent with decades of desk use. The engraving remains perfectly legible and the coin is securely seated. This honest wear enhances its historical character.
Full Research
Sold comps, value drivers, and venue guidance pulled from recent auction results.
Build on this identification
Layer in sold comps, value drivers, and venue guidance.
Comparable demand stays strongest where maker, originality, and venue confidence line up. Broader examples still trade, but the range tightens quickly when provenance, condition, or selling lane fit is missing.
Best Venue
Specialty auction or a focused dealer with buyers already in this lane.
Signed example with light edge wear and original frame.
Comparable format with stronger provenance and cleaner surface.
Smaller related piece with visible craquelure and trimmed margins.
Period match with softer condition and weaker subject matter.
Close market lane comp with similar material and presentation.