BS
Broadstruck
Posts: 30,497 ✭✭✭✭✭
Son of a gun were having exonumia fun on the bayou... Unique mule newp 
This Miller-LA-19 U.S. Merchant Store Card is a mule of a circa 1853-58 Nathan C. Folger, New Orleans clothing store (Miller LA-10) obverse and circa 1851-55 C.W. Jackson Philadelphia coal dealer (Miller PA-234) reverse. Elliot Woodward had already described this as "extremely rare" in a 1863 Bangs auction. I've never seen one plated before and Russell Rulau questions if the edge is plain or reeded which leads me to believe he never saw an example either. The edge is plain non reeded and interestingly the obverse has a rim clip with the reverse being completely clip free. If you look closely this was struck on a copper planchet meant for a Folger issue which is 29mm in diameter. The C.W. Jackson obverse die design used on the reverse of this mule is for a 28mm diameter token planchet. Struck perfectly centered it avoids the planchet clip and cups the rims upward from striking pressure. Although some mules been intentional by the commissioning client selecting a different already cut reverse die store card design more fitting for another token manufacturing run. With both being nearly 1,100 miles apart from one another this token served no purpose as a store advertising card for either merchant and was a fantasy re-strike which was made to order at the request of a token collector. This practice was quite common with the likes of Levick, Bushnell and others to own something unique and create rarities within the series.
Nathan Cyprian Folger was born in Hudson, New York in 1810 and moved to New Orleans in 1830. He established his clothing business on arrival and was also widely known as a depot for the supply of readymade plantation clothing on the largest scale. Folger issued a 34mm diameter brass store card dated 1837 (Low-121/HT-117) struck by Bale & Smith in New York which is considered one of the major rarities within the Hard Times Tokens series and unattainable to most collectors. Just five specimens known to survive and there have been only five auction sales in over a century. Due to the long hot Louisiana summers all show some signs of corrosion. The later 1853-58 issued 29mm copper and brass tokens are struck by Scovill Manufacturing Company in Waterbury, Connecticut. Edgar H. Adams wrote a very detailed article with plates on all Nathan Folgers tokens published a 1915 issue of ANA The Numismatist. By 1939 Wayte Raymond in his book titled “Standard Catalogue of U.S. Coins and Tokens” had considered all Folger tokens as rare.
This Miller-LA-19 U.S. Merchant Store Card is a mule of a circa 1853-58 Nathan C. Folger, New Orleans clothing store (Miller LA-10) obverse and circa 1851-55 C.W. Jackson Philadelphia coal dealer (Miller PA-234) reverse. Elliot Woodward had already described this as "extremely rare" in a 1863 Bangs auction. I've never seen one plated before and Russell Rulau questions if the edge is plain or reeded which leads me to believe he never saw an example either. The edge is plain non reeded and interestingly the obverse has a rim clip with the reverse being completely clip free. If you look closely this was struck on a copper planchet meant for a Folger issue which is 29mm in diameter. The C.W. Jackson obverse die design used on the reverse of this mule is for a 28mm diameter token planchet. Struck perfectly centered it avoids the planchet clip and cups the rims upward from striking pressure. Although some mules been intentional by the commissioning client selecting a different already cut reverse die store card design more fitting for another token manufacturing run. With both being nearly 1,100 miles apart from one another this token served no purpose as a store advertising card for either merchant and was a fantasy re-strike which was made to order at the request of a token collector. This practice was quite common with the likes of Levick, Bushnell and others to own something unique and create rarities within the series.
Nathan Cyprian Folger was born in Hudson, New York in 1810 and moved to New Orleans in 1830. He established his clothing business on arrival and was also widely known as a depot for the supply of readymade plantation clothing on the largest scale. Folger issued a 34mm diameter brass store card dated 1837 (Low-121/HT-117) struck by Bale & Smith in New York which is considered one of the major rarities within the Hard Times Tokens series and unattainable to most collectors. Just five specimens known to survive and there have been only five auction sales in over a century. Due to the long hot Louisiana summers all show some signs of corrosion. The later 1853-58 issued 29mm copper and brass tokens are struck by Scovill Manufacturing Company in Waterbury, Connecticut. Edgar H. Adams wrote a very detailed article with plates on all Nathan Folgers tokens published a 1915 issue of ANA The Numismatist. By 1939 Wayte Raymond in his book titled “Standard Catalogue of U.S. Coins and Tokens” had considered all Folger tokens as rare.
To Err Is Human.... To Collect Err's Is Just Too Much Darn Tootin Fun!
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