(1832-35) Token HT-307B, New York NY

Coin Details

Description

This variant of the Robert B. Ruggles gold beater token differs from HT-307A in edge type or metal composition. Ruggles operated his gold-beating business at 225 Canal Street, New York, producing gold and silver leaf for the city's gilders, sign painters, and dentists. The arm-and-hammer obverse design was particularly apt for a craft that literally involved hammering metal into thin sheets. Canal Street in the 1830s was transitioning from a commercial waterway (the filled-in canal from which it took its name) to one of Manhattan's busiest shopping and manufacturing streets. The neighborhood housed numerous craftsmen and manufacturers whose products served the city's growing consumer economy. Ruggles' gold-beating establishment would have occupied a workshop where the rhythmic pounding of gold between layers of vellum produced the delicate leaf used in gilding. The variant designation reflects production differences that make this piece distinct from HT-307A. Multiple token varieties from a single merchant suggest either sustained production over several years or deliberate production in different metals to serve different purposes— copper tokens for general advertising and gilt tokens as premium samples demonstrating the quality of Ruggles' gold leaf work.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Variant of the Ruggles gold beater token.

Cross References

Rulau HT-307B