(1835) Token HT-181B, Taunton MA

Coin Details

Auction Record

$3,360 MS64 09-07-2017 Heritage Auctions

Description

This second variant of the John J. Adams brush manufacturer token continues the series from Taunton, Massachusetts. The "B" suffix indicates a third distinct variety after HT-181 and HT-181A, reflecting ongoing production or deliberate variation in the token's manufacture. Brush manufacturing in early nineteenth-century America was labor-intensive work requiring raw materials sourced from multiple continents. Hog bristles came primarily from Russia and China, horsehair from domestic and European sources, and specialized fibers like tampico from Mexico. A comprehensive manufacturer like Adams would have maintained relationships with importers in Boston and Providence to secure these materials, then employed skilled workers to sort, prepare, and set the bristles into handles of wood, bone, or metal. The multiple varieties of the Adams token suggest sustained production over several years, consistent with a successful business that used tokens as ongoing advertising rather than a one-time promotional effort. The common Rarity R-1 classification of the base type indicates Adams ordered thousands of tokens—a significant investment for a small-town manufacturer that reflects confidence in the advertising value of these portable metallic business cards.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Second variant of the Adams brush manufacturer token.

Cross References

Rulau HT-181B