(1836) Token HT-155, R. & W. Robinson MA

Coin Details

Auction Record

$384 MS65BN 08-22-2021 Heritage Auctions

Description

This 1836 copper token continues the Robinson's Jones & Co. series from Attleboro, Massachusetts, representing a later die combination than the 1833-dated HT-153. The three-year gap between HT-153 and HT-155 indicates sustained token production by the Robinson manufacturing network, with new dies cut as earlier ones wore out or as business partnerships evolved. The token maintains the advertising format established by the earlier issues. Attleboro's jewelry district in the 1830s was a compact community of small manufacturers, many employing fewer than a dozen workers, clustered along the Ten Mile River and its tributaries. Water power drove the stamping presses and rolling mills that produced the sheet metal from which buttons, tokens, and jewelry components were cut. The Robinson firms occupied a prominent position in this industrial landscape, with multiple workshop buildings and an established distribution network reaching merchants throughout New England and beyond. The production of multiple token varieties over several years by Robinson-affiliated firms documents the evolution of Attleboro's manufacturing capabilities during a formative period. Each new die variety reflects refinements in die cutting technique and design sensibility that the firms developed through their primary jewelry and button business.

Rarity Notes

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

Cross References

Rulau HT-155