(1835) Token HT-351, Troy NY

Coin Details

Description

This 1835 copper token from Troy, New York is a general-attribution piece from the upper Hudson Valley commercial center. Without a specific merchant name on the die, this token may represent a generic Troy issue produced for commercial circulation, a die trial or pattern piece, or a token whose merchant attribution has been lost from the die inscription through wear or poor documentation. Troy in 1835 was a thriving commercial and manufacturing center, and the city produced more Hard Times Token varieties than any other upstate New York community. The concentration of token-issuing merchants — including Bucklin, Starbuck, Peck, Boutwell, and others — reflects Troy's commercial energy and its merchants' embrace of innovative advertising techniques. Generic Troy tokens without specific merchant attribution served as general-purpose cent substitutes rather than advertising media, produced by local manufacturers to fill the growing demand for small change during the coin shortage that intensified after 1837.

Rarity Notes

Common. Generic Troy issue. Rarity R-2.

Cross References

Rulau HT-351