(1835) Copper Token HT-101, Davenport

Coin Details

Auction Record

$264 AU50BN 11-18-2019 Stack's Bowers

Description

This 1835 copper token advertises Davenport's variety and fancy goods store on Chapel Street in New Haven, Connecticut. Davenport operated a retail establishment selling combs, perfumery, baskets, toys, and other imported and domestic fancy goods — the type of general merchandise shop that served as a nineteenth-century department store in miniature. Chapel Street was one of New Haven's principal commercial thoroughfares, connecting the Yale College campus with the commercial district near the town green. Variety stores like Davenport's occupied an important niche in antebellum retail commerce, offering a curated selection of small consumer goods that larger general stores often did not carry. Combs ranged from simple utilitarian items to elaborate tortoiseshell and ivory pieces; perfumery included both imported European fragrances and domestic preparations; and the basket and toy departments catered to household needs and children's entertainment. These goods were typically sourced through New York City importers and domestic manufacturers. New Haven's economy in the 1830s combined Yale College's educational and cultural influence with a growing manufacturing sector that would later produce firearms (Winchester), carriages, and clocks. The city's location on Long Island Sound provided shipping access, while its position on the inland road network connected it to Hartford, Springfield, and the Connecticut River Valley trade routes.

Rarity Notes

Common. Standard copper variety. Rarity R-2.

Cross References

Low 52; Rulau HT-101