(1837) Token HT-169, German-Silver Roxbury Coaches MA

Coin Details

Auction Record

$504 XF45 11-30-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

This German silver token from the Roxbury Coaches line represents a transportation token rather than a standard merchant advertising piece. At 18.7mm diameter — significantly smaller than the standard 28mm cent-sized tokens — this piece functioned as a fare token for the stagecoach service connecting Roxbury to downtown Boston. The German silver composition gave the token durability and a distinctive silvery appearance that distinguished it from standard copper cent tokens. Stagecoach lines serving Boston's surrounding communities were essential transportation links in the 1830s, before the arrival of horse-drawn streetcars and commuter railroads. Roxbury, located about three miles south of central Boston, was a prosperous residential community that generated significant daily traffic as residents traveled to Boston for business and shopping. Fare tokens simplified the collection process for coach operators, eliminating the need to make change for each passenger. Transportation tokens from the Hard Times era are a distinct subset of the broader series, serving a purely functional rather than advertising purpose. The Roxbury Coaches token documents the public transportation infrastructure of pre-railroad Boston and the entrepreneurial response of private coach operators to growing suburban commuter demand.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. German silver transportation token. Rarity R-3.

Cross References

Rulau HT-169