(1836) Copper Token HT-154, R&W Robinson

Coin Details

Auction Record

$204 MS64BN 08-20-2019 Stack's Bowers

Description

This 1836 copper token from R. & W. Robinson of Attleboro, Massachusetts identifies the Robinson brothers — Roswell and William — who were central figures in establishing Attleboro as America's jewelry manufacturing capital. The firm produced buttons, jewelry findings, and decorative metalwork, operating stamping presses and die-cutting equipment that made token production a natural sideline of their manufacturing business. R. & W. Robinson's token bears the Attleboro attribution that connects it to the cluster of metalworking tokens from this Massachusetts town. The Robinsons maintained business relationships with Jones & Co. (see HT-153) and other Attleboro firms, creating a network of interrelated manufacturers who collectively produced a significant body of Hard Times Token varieties. Their 1836 date places this token at the height of token production, just before the Panic of 1837 transformed advertising novelties into genuine emergency currency. The Robinson family's importance to American manufacturing history extends well beyond their numismatic legacy. Their enterprises helped establish the industrial infrastructure — skilled workers, specialized equipment, supply chains — that made Attleboro the dominant center for American costume jewelry production through the twentieth century.

Rarity Notes

Common. Standard copper Attleboro issue. Rarity R-1 to R-2.

Cross References

Rulau HT-154