(1836) Token HT-187B, St. Louis MO

Coin Details

Description

This second variant of the Huckel, Burrows & Jennings St. Louis token represents yet another die combination or metallic composition in what is already one of the rarest city-attributed series in the Hard Times token catalog. The "B" suffix indicates a third distinct variety after the primary HT-187 and the HT-187A variant, indicating that despite the tiny surviving population, the tokens were produced in more than one production run or metallic option. The 1836 date on these tokens places them just before the Panic of 1837, during the final year of national economic expansion. St. Louis was booming in 1836, with steamboat arrivals increasing annually and the western fur trade still generating substantial profits. Huckel, Burrows & Jennings' diverse inventory—groceries, wines, and boat supplies—positioned them to profit from both the city's growing residential population and the transient river commerce. Whether HT-187, 187A, and 187B represent deliberate production in multiple metals (copper, brass, and German silver) or sequential die states as the original dies deteriorated, the existence of three cataloged varieties for such a rare token indicates a complex production history for what might appear to be a straightforward merchant advertising piece.

Rarity Notes

Extremely rare. Second variant of the only St. Louis Hard Times merchant token.

Cross References

Rulau HT-187B