(1837) Copper Token HT-311, Smith's Clock Establishment NY

Coin Details

Auction Record

$336 AU58BN 08-20-2019 Stack's Bowers

Description

This 1837 copper token from Smith's Clock Establishment features one of the most memorable and whimsical designs in the merchant Hard Times Token series. The obverse displays a clock face showing the time 10:14, surrounded by "TIME IS MONEY" — the famous aphorism attributed to Benjamin Franklin. The reverse identifies the business: "SMITH'S CLOCK ESTABLISHMENT / NO. 7 1/2 BOWERY / NEW YORK / 1837." Smith's Clock Establishment operated at 7½ Bowery in Lower Manhattan, a commercial thoroughfare that was one of the busiest retail districts in antebellum New York. The Bowery's diverse array of shops, theaters, and entertainment venues made it a natural location for a clock dealer, and the "TIME IS MONEY" motto perfectly connected the product being sold to the commercial values of the district's clientele. The clock face design is technically sophisticated for a private token, requiring the die sinker to engrave numerals, hands, and case details in reverse — a challenging task that demonstrates the skill of the engraver. The 10:14 time shown on the clock face was chosen for aesthetic reasons (the hands at this position frame the upper portion of the dial attractively) or held some significance now lost to history.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. HT-311 is the first variety in the Smith's Clock series. Rarity R-3.

Cross References

Low 131; Rulau HT-311