(1834) Copper Token HT-151, H M & E I Richards MA

Coin Details

Auction Record

$180 AU58BN 08-20-2019 Stack's Bowers

Description

This 1834 copper token from H.M. & E.I. Richards of Attleboro, Massachusetts advertises one of the many jewelry and metalworking firms that made Attleboro the center of American costume jewelry production. The Richards brothers operated a small manufactory producing buttons, buckles, and inexpensive jewelry items — the light metal goods for which Attleboro became nationally known. The obverse features a Liberty Head design closely imitating the contemporary U.S. large cent. Attleboro's concentration of metalworking firms made it a natural center for Hard Times Token production. Several Attleboro manufacturers — including the Robinson family, S.B. Schenck, and the Richards — issued advertising tokens during the 1830s, leveraging their existing die-cutting and stamping capabilities. These firms could produce tokens in-house at minimal marginal cost, using the same equipment they employed for buttons and other small metal goods. The H.M. & E.I. Richards token is part of the broader Attleboro group that documents the early development of what became one of America's most important jewelry manufacturing centers. By the 1830s, Attleboro firms had moved beyond simple button production to manufacture brooches, clasps, chains, and other decorative items that were distributed throughout the eastern United States.

Rarity Notes

Common. Standard copper Attleboro issue. Rarity R-1 to R-2.

Cross References

Low 73; Rulau HT-151