1838 New York - Am I not a Woman & Sister HT-81 / Low 54
This is the classic antislavery token is also said to commemorate the formation of the Liberty Party in 1838. Thanks to the research of Eric P. Newman, collectors may now know a good deal more about the background of HT 81 and HT 82. His conclusions are summarized here: In late 1837 the American Anti-Slavery Society, located at 143 Nassau Street, New York, commissioned the firm of Gibbs Gardner & Co. of Belleville, N.J. to strike copper tokens (HT 81, the Kneeling Female piece). The tokens probably cost the AASS about 50 cents per hundred, as they contained copper then worth 39.5 cents per hundred. Beginning May 4, 1833, the AASS published a weekly newspaper, The Emancipator, published by Charles W. Denison and edited by Joshua Leavitt. In its issue of Nov. 23, 1837, the Emancipator ran an advertisement offering the Female Slave tokens at $1 per hundred. Made of good copper and with a device on reverse similar to legal U.S. cents, they sold well. The ad also said that it was proposed to issue Kneeling Male Slave tokens as well, and this accounts for the few pattern pieces of HT 82, which were never produced for circulation. U.S. Mint Director Patterson moved quickly to suppress the circulation of HT 81, and it is apparent that by late December, 1837, he had succeeded in part. No further ads for the Female Slave tokens appeared in the AASS weekly or in other Journals, but since the number of pieces of HT 81 still surviving is quite large, they may well have been distributed by middlemen who paid about 62 cents per hundred for them in early 1838. Gibbs Gardner & Co. were selected by the AASS in part because John Gibbs’ Belleville Mint had also struck the 1833 Liberia cent tokens for another American anti-slavery group in Maryland. The AASS actually distributed a British anti-slavery medal in the U.S. in 1835, selling for 25 cents each, the 1834 Emancipation Jubilee Medal.
To Err Is Human.... To Collect Err's Is Just Too Much Darn Tootin Fun!
Recent research has shown that token HT-70 is probably the first cent-sized political type token which achieved wide circulation, and it opened the door for a flood of similar items. The die was cut by Edward Hulseman in Attleboro, Mass. in the fall of 1833, and the tokens were struck by the button-makers, Robinson's Jones & Co. of Attleboro, who were Hulseman's employers 1833-1836. The tokens of this and later types (HT 69, 71 and 72) refer to Jackson, who is shown with sword and purse.
The feeling which led to to adoption of the sword and purse device continued for some time after the Whigs had taken the reins of government. The Albany Argus daily city gazette for October 1, 1842 published "The liberties of the country were alarmingly threatened under Mr. Van Buren's administration by a union of the purse with the sword in the same hands."
To Err Is Human.... To Collect Err's Is Just Too Much Darn Tootin Fun!
1837 New York - Merchant's Exchange HT-292 / Low 96
1837 New York Merchant's Exchange HT-293 / Low 97
1837 New York - Merchant's Exchange HT-294 / Low 98
Both the Merchants Exchange and the Tontine Building are mentioned on hard times tokens HT-291 through HT-294.
Behind these names is one of the most unusual business arrangements America has ever seen. AS a "tontine" was a legal device whereby survivors split an inheritance at some point specified, adn those unfortunate enough to die earlier get nothing.
The Tontine Coffee House building, at the corner of Wall and Wate Streets in New Tork, was commenced in 1792 and completed in1794. It and a large amount of surrounding land were owned by and association of 203 cirty merhcnats and other prosperous persons, who has subscribed at $200 per share. Thus the initial capital was $40,600.
The Tontine scheme was to divided equally when the original 203 holders had been reduced by death to just seven! Share purchasers often named their children, not themselves, as the share owners. Meanwhile, shareholders shared the income of the entity, which owned a good portion of what was then the 2nd Ward (bounded by Pine St., Nassau St., East River, and Gold and Geogre Sts.). The first five trustees for the 203 shareholders, who were to meet every year in the Tontine Coffee House, were John Broome, Gulian Verplanck the Elder, John Delafield, William Laight and John Watts.
The Tontine was also a hotel, and rented street shop space to certain merchants, such as John R. D. Huggins, the famed hairdresser who kept his shop ther 1794-1800. The Tontine's charter was signed Nov. 4, 1794.
The largest room in the Tontine housed the Merchants Exchange 1794-1825, but it soon outgrew its quarters, with bargaining being conducted in the bar, etc. A supposedly fireproof Merchants Exchange building was erected 1827 on Wall Street, but it was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1835.
From 1797-1812 the Tontine Coffe House served from 11AM to 1PM punch, lemonade, crackers, cheese, and codfish at their splendid bar. The merchants called this "lunch." The Gulian C. Verplanck of HT 30 (born 1786) and William Bayard (born 1791) were original shareholders as children. The Tontine Coffee House was renamed the Tontine Building in 1843.
The Tontine scheme was sort of "Russian roulette". When the 203 were reduced to 7, the survivors were to divvy up the loot. By 1862, 70 years after the plot was hatched, it was found that a family named De Peyster had bought up some two-thirds of the outstanding shares.
To Err Is Human.... To Collect Err's Is Just Too Much Darn Tootin Fun!
“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly."
Comments
<< <i>Does this count? >>
Yes as once counterstruck it's no longer a coin as it's now exonumia.
.
CoinsAreFun Toned Silver Eagle Proof Album
.
Gallery Mint Museum, Ron Landis& Joe Rust, The beginnings of the Golden Dollar
.
More CoinsAreFun Pictorials NGC
<< <i> >>
Neat-O as I haven't seen one of these in like 4-5 years!
.
CoinsAreFun Toned Silver Eagle Proof Album
.
Gallery Mint Museum, Ron Landis& Joe Rust, The beginnings of the Golden Dollar
.
More CoinsAreFun Pictorials NGC
<< <i>
Neat-O as I haven't seen one of these in like 4-5 years! >>
Thanks
.
CoinsAreFun Toned Silver Eagle Proof Album
.
Gallery Mint Museum, Ron Landis& Joe Rust, The beginnings of the Golden Dollar
.
More CoinsAreFun Pictorials NGC
This is the classic antislavery token is also said to commemorate the formation of the Liberty Party in 1838. Thanks to the research of Eric P. Newman, collectors may now know a good deal more about the background of HT 81 and HT 82. His conclusions are summarized here: In late 1837 the American Anti-Slavery Society, located at 143 Nassau Street, New York, commissioned the firm of Gibbs Gardner & Co. of Belleville, N.J. to strike copper tokens (HT 81, the Kneeling Female piece). The tokens probably cost the AASS about 50 cents per hundred, as they contained copper then worth 39.5 cents per hundred. Beginning May 4, 1833, the AASS published a weekly newspaper, The Emancipator, published by Charles W. Denison and edited by Joshua Leavitt. In its issue of Nov. 23, 1837, the Emancipator ran an advertisement offering the Female Slave tokens at $1 per hundred. Made of good copper and with a device on reverse similar to legal U.S. cents, they sold well. The ad also said that it was proposed to issue Kneeling Male Slave tokens as well, and this accounts for the few pattern pieces of HT 82, which were never produced for circulation. U.S. Mint Director Patterson moved quickly to suppress the circulation of HT 81, and it is apparent that by late December, 1837, he had succeeded in part. No further ads for the Female Slave tokens appeared in the AASS weekly or in other Journals, but since the number of pieces of HT 81 still surviving is quite large, they may well have been distributed by middlemen who paid about 62 cents per hundred for them in early 1838. Gibbs Gardner & Co. were selected by the AASS in part because John Gibbs’ Belleville Mint had also struck the 1833 Liberia cent tokens for another American anti-slavery group in Maryland. The AASS actually distributed a British anti-slavery medal in the U.S. in 1835, selling for 25 cents each, the 1834 Emancipation Jubilee Medal.
1837 New York - Geo Jarvis Wine Dealer HT-284 / Low 123
HT-70
HT-71
HT-72
Recent research has shown that token HT-70 is probably the first cent-sized political type token which achieved wide circulation, and it opened the door for a flood of similar items. The die was cut by Edward Hulseman in Attleboro, Mass. in the fall of 1833, and the tokens were struck by the button-makers, Robinson's Jones & Co. of Attleboro, who were Hulseman's employers 1833-1836. The tokens of this and later types (HT 69, 71 and 72) refer to Jackson, who is shown with sword and purse.
The feeling which led to to adoption of the sword and purse device continued for some time after the Whigs had taken the reins of government. The Albany Argus daily city gazette for October 1, 1842 published "The liberties of the country were alarmingly threatened under Mr. Van Buren's administration by a union of the purse with the sword in the same hands."
1837 New York - Merchant's Exchange HT-292 / Low 96
1837 New York Merchant's Exchange HT-293 / Low 97
1837 New York - Merchant's Exchange HT-294 / Low 98
Both the Merchants Exchange and the Tontine Building are mentioned on hard times tokens HT-291 through HT-294.
Behind these names is one of the most unusual business arrangements America has ever seen. AS a "tontine" was a legal device whereby survivors split an inheritance at some point specified, adn those unfortunate enough to die earlier get nothing.
The Tontine Coffee House building, at the corner of Wall and Wate Streets in New Tork, was commenced in 1792 and completed in1794. It and a large amount of surrounding land were owned by and association of 203 cirty merhcnats and other prosperous persons, who has subscribed at $200 per share. Thus the initial capital was $40,600.
The Tontine scheme was to divided equally when the original 203 holders had been reduced by death to just seven! Share purchasers often named their children, not themselves, as the share owners. Meanwhile, shareholders shared the income of the entity, which owned a good portion of what was then the 2nd Ward (bounded by Pine St., Nassau St., East River, and Gold and Geogre Sts.). The first five trustees for the 203 shareholders, who were to meet every year in the Tontine Coffee House, were John Broome, Gulian Verplanck the Elder, John Delafield, William Laight and John Watts.
The Tontine was also a hotel, and rented street shop space to certain merchants, such as John R. D. Huggins, the famed hairdresser who kept his shop ther 1794-1800. The Tontine's charter was signed Nov. 4, 1794.
The largest room in the Tontine housed the Merchants Exchange 1794-1825, but it soon outgrew its quarters, with bargaining being conducted in the bar, etc. A supposedly fireproof Merchants Exchange building was erected 1827 on Wall Street, but it was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1835.
From 1797-1812 the Tontine Coffe House served from 11AM to 1PM punch, lemonade, crackers, cheese, and codfish at their splendid bar. The merchants called this "lunch." The Gulian C. Verplanck of HT 30 (born 1786) and William Bayard (born 1791) were original shareholders as children. The Tontine Coffee House was renamed the Tontine Building in 1843.
The Tontine scheme was sort of "Russian roulette". When the 203 were reduced to 7, the survivors were to divvy up the loot. By 1862, 70 years after the plot was hatched, it was found that a family named De Peyster had bought up some two-thirds of the outstanding shares.
- Marcus Tullius Cicero, 106-43 BC