(1830s) Copper Token HT-182, Crocker Brothers & Co. MA

Coin Details

Auction Record

$228 XF40BN 08-20-2019 Stack's Bowers

Description

This copper token from Crocker Bros. & Co. of Taunton, Massachusetts advertises a manufacturing firm in one of Bristol County's important industrial towns. Taunton, located between Attleboro and New Bedford, was a center for metalworking, particularly the production of stoves, tacks, and other iron and copper goods. The Crocker brothers operated in one of these manufacturing trades, leveraging their metalworking capabilities for token production. Taunton's industrial character made it a natural site for token production. The town's manufacturers had access to the same types of presses, dies, and metal stock used by their Attleboro neighbors, and the competitive commercial environment of southeastern Massachusetts encouraged the use of advertising tokens. Crocker Bros. & Co.'s token documents a firm that participated in the region's manufacturing economy during a period of significant industrial growth. The token exists in both copper (HT-182) and white metal (HT-182A) compositions, indicating production in at least two materials. The white metal variety is scarcer, indicating more limited production of the premium composition — a pattern consistent with other Massachusetts merchants who produced multi-composition token series.

Rarity Notes

Common. Standard copper variety. Rarity R-1 to R-2.

Cross References

Rulau HT-182