(1833) Token HT-8, Jackson-Small Shield

Coin Details

Description

This 1833 brass token features Jackson's portrait on the obverse and a small shield on the reverse, forming the companion variety to the "Large Shield" HT-7. The reduced size of the shield on the reverse creates a noticeably different visual impression, with more open field space surrounding the central device. Both varieties were struck in brass and circulated during the same period of intense political conflict over federal banking policy. The "Small Shield" designation refers to the more compact rendering of the heraldic shield that occupies less of the reverse die's available field. This difference was created by the use of a different reverse die, not by wear or reduction from the large shield version. In the token production methods of the 1830s, reverse dies were individually engraved or hubbed, and variations in the size and positioning of design elements were common even when the overall motif remained the same. The distinction between large and small shield varieties is important to collectors who seek complete die variety sets of the political Hard Times Token series. While both share the same political message and historical context, the different dies establish them as separate collectible pieces, each with its own production history and survival rate.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Similar availability to the large shield variety HT-7.

Cross References

Low 8; Rulau HT-8