(1835) Token HT-364, J. & C. Peck NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$4,080 VF30 08-20-2019 Stack's Bowers

Description

This 1835 copper token from J. & C. Peck of Troy, New York advertises a firm of machinists who built cotton and woolen machinery for the textile industry. The Pecks manufactured the specialized equipment — carding machines, spinning frames, looms, and related components — that powered New England and upstate New York's rapidly expanding textile mills. Their Troy location placed them at the center of a region experiencing dramatic industrial growth driven by the canal trade and water power. The firm also produced tin-working machines under Seth Peck's Patent, expanding their product line beyond textile equipment into the metalworking machinery market. Seth Peck's patented designs for tin-cutting and forming machines served the tinsmith trade, which was an important sector of early American manufacturing — tin products ranging from kitchen utensils to roofing materials were in constant demand. The dual product line in textile and tin machinery gave the Pecks a diversified manufacturing business. J. & C. Peck's token exists in at least two die varieties (HT-364 and HT-371), indicating a sustained advertising campaign targeting the industrial customers who purchased their machinery. Troy's concentration of machine shops and manufacturers — including the neighboring Starbuck turning and boring operation — created a competitive environment where advertising tokens helped firms distinguish their specialized capabilities.

Rarity Notes

Common. Standard copper variety. Rarity R-1 to R-2.

Cross References

Rulau HT-364