1835 Token W-NY1660-50a Copper Furman B. Stage

Coin Details

Auction Record

$3,840 F15BN 08-20-2019 Stack's Bowers

Description

This 1835 copper token, cataloged as W-NY1660-50a, was issued by Furman B. Stage, a merchant or tradesman operating in New York during the Jacksonian era. The W-prefix catalog designation refers to the Rulau-Fuld standard reference for American store cards and merchant tokens. The 1835 date places this token in the period just before the Panic of 1837, which devastated the American economy and triggered the famous Hard Times token era of 1837-1844, when millions of privately issued tokens circulated as substitutes for scarce government coinage. Merchant tokens from the mid-1830s represent the commercial optimism of the Jacksonian economic boom, before the speculative bubble collapsed. Furman B. Stage's token served as both advertising for his business and practical small change in an era when minor coins were chronically in short supply.

Rarity Notes

Copper, W-NY1660-50a. Pre-Hard Times era New York merchant token. Scarce period piece.

Cross References

PCGS #776632; W-NY1660-50a; Furman B. Stage, New York, Copper