(1834-5) Token HT-247A, New York NY

Coin Details

Description

This brass variety of the Day, Newell & Day token shares the same design as the copper HT-247 but is struck in brass, giving it a yellowish color that would have distinguished it from the copper tokens and copper cents in circulation. The brass composition was chosen to showcase the firm's metalworking expertise, as brass was one of the primary materials used in lock manufacturing. Brass tokens from the Hard Times era occupy an intermediate position between common copper issues and scarce silver or gold pieces. The brass composition added modest cost to the production process but created a visually distinctive token that recipients were more to notice and examine — enhancing the advertising effectiveness of the piece. For a hardware firm that worked extensively in brass, the material choice also served as a subtle demonstration of product quality. Day, Newell & Day's multi-composition token program (copper, brass, and German silver varieties) indicates a sophisticated approach to token marketing that paralleled the firm's technical sophistication in lock and safe manufacturing. By producing tokens in different metals, the firm created variety that encouraged collection and extended the advertising reach of their token program.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Brass variety is less common than the copper issue. Rarity R-3.

Cross References

Rulau HT-247A