(1833-35) Token HT-281A, B. Hooks NY

Coin Details

Description

This 1833-1835 copper token is a further variant in the B. Hooks merchant series from 276 Broome Street, New York City. The HT-281A designation with the "A" suffix indicates a sub-variety of HT-281, distinguished by specific die characteristics that separate it from the primary type. Together with HT-280, HT-280A, and HT-280B, this piece completes a four-variety token program for a single New York merchant. The Benjamin Franklin portrait that adorns the Hooks tokens' obverse was copied from one of the many medal or print portraits of Franklin that circulated in antebellum America. Franklin's face was among the most recognizable in American popular culture, appearing on medals, prints, book illustrations, and various commercial products. The token die cutter would have had numerous models to work from in creating the portrait die. The Hooks series demonstrates that even relatively modest New York merchants could sustain multi-variety token programs during the Hard Times period. The cost of cutting new dies and striking tokens was within reach of small retailers, particularly when the tokens served double duty as both advertising media and functional cent substitutes during the coin shortage.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Sub-variety with Franklin obverse. Rarity R-3.

Cross References

Rulau HT-281A