The coin may be made of silver. It is not marked and has not been tested. I had read somewhere that Samson Cordage had began in buildings that were built by the Shakers. Unfortunatley that information had been misplaced. Some other information that was found on the company is as follows:

''For well over one hundred years, Samson has been recognized as the leader in developing and manufacturing braided ropes. Originally founded by J.P. Tolman in 1878, Samson Cordage Works was incorporated in Massachusetts in 1888. The name was derived from the Company's trademark of Samson slaying the lion, and is currently the oldest active registered trademark in the United States.''

''It was during the 1800's that Samson developed the unique concept of incorporating reinforcement cores within braids to significantly enhance product performance. In 1957, the engineers at Samson took this innovative concept another step further and developed synthetic double braided rope. Double braids are actually two ropes in one, a braided core rope is covered by a braided sheath. Utilizing the new, high strength nylon, polyester and polypropylene fibers in this patented construction allowed Samson to manufacture ropes that were far stronger and more durable than the 3 strand twisted ropes which had been the standard since biblical times. Today, Samson engineers are using the same nylon, polyester and polypropylene fibers together with newer developments in fiber technology like Kevlar¨, HMWPE (high molecular weight polyethylene, such as Spectra¨ and Dyneema¨) and Technora¨ to produce ropes with characteristics specifically designed to enhance performance. Samson engineers continue to explore new fiber and rope construction technologies to meet the demands of the marine industry and recreational boaters alike.''

''Samson Rope Technologies is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The AMC Group''.