1837 Token HT-262, Feuchtwanger Three Cent

Coin Details

Auction Record

$2,880 MS61 04-28-2019 Heritage Auctions

Description

The 1837 Feuchtwanger Three Cent with New York Coat of Arms obverse is the scarcer of the two three-cent design types that Dr. Lewis Feuchtwanger produced alongside his more common one-cent tokens. Where the cent was intended as a direct replacement for the large copper cent, the three-cent denomination had no official U.S. parallel at the time — the federal silver three-cent piece would not be introduced until 1851. Feuchtwanger chose this denomination to demonstrate his alloy's versatility across multiple denominations of small change. The obverse features the New York State Coat of Arms, a design reminiscent of the 1787 Excelsior copper coinage. Two female figures representing Liberty (with pole and cap) and Justice (blindfolded, with sword and scales) flank a central shield bearing a Hudson River sunrise landscape. A spread eagle perches above the shield, with the state motto EXCELSIOR on a ribbon below and the date 1837 in the exergue. The reverse displays a laurel wreath surrounding the denomination THREE CENTS, with the legend FEUCHTWANGER'S COMPOSITION around the periphery. The New York Coat of Arms obverse gives this token a distinctly local civic character, invoking Feuchtwanger's identity as a New York City businessman and the commercial pride behind his proposed coinage reform. Like the one-cent tokens, these three-cent pieces were struck in Feuchtwanger's proprietary German Silver alloy by Scovill Manufacturing Company and distributed from his pharmacy at 377 Broadway in lower Manhattan. They were intended as companion pieces to the cents in his petition to Congress for adoption of the alloy for official coinage. The three-cent Feuchtwanger tokens are substantially scarcer than the cents across all varieties, reflecting a much smaller production run.

Rarity Notes

Rarity R-3 (scarce). Significantly rarer than the HT-268 one-cent, with an estimated 70 to 120 surviving examples based on auction census data. Choice Mint State specimens are rare. An MS-62 PCGS example sold at Heritage Auctions; EF to AU examples appear periodically at major auction houses. The coat of arms type (HT-262) is more common than the eagle type (HT-263, R-4) but rarer than the one-cent (HT-268, R-1 as a type). Auction record: $25,300 for a Choice Uncirculated example at Stack's/ANR, June 2004.

Cross References

Low-117; Rulau W-NY-480-60j; PCGS #20002. Part of the PCGS Feuchtwanger Tokens (1837-1864) five-piece registry set. Obverse design related to the 1787 Excelsior copper coinage of New York.