(1830-34) Copper Token HT-163A, William H. Milton MA

Coin Details

Auction Record

$228 AU53BN 08-20-2019 Stack's Bowers

Description

This 1830-1834 copper token is a variant of the Wm. H. Milton & Co. series from Boston, Massachusetts. The "A" suffix indicates a die variety or composition variation from the standard HT-163 type, while maintaining the same merchant attribution. Milton's extended token program across multiple varieties and date ranges documents one of Boston's more persistent merchant advertisers during the Hard Times era. The Milton firm's investment in multiple token varieties over a period spanning from the early 1830s through the mid-1840s demonstrates exceptional commercial longevity for a Hard Times Token issuer. While most merchants produced tokens during a concentrated period of one or two years, Milton maintained production across more than a decade — suggesting both sustained business success and continued confidence in the token advertising medium. Boston's dense commercial environment provided ideal conditions for token circulation, with thousands of daily retail transactions ensuring that advertising tokens changed hands frequently and reached diverse audiences across the city's neighborhoods and commercial districts.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Sub-variety of the Boston Milton series. Rarity R-3.

Cross References

Rulau HT-163A