(1840-42) Token HT-147, Baltimore MD

Coin Details

Auction Record

$576 MS63 06-23-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

This silver token advertises Randall & Co., mineral water dealers operating at the City Hotel on Monument Square in Baltimore. The obverse depicts a monument with a statue on top—representing Baltimore's iconic Washington Monument, completed in 1829—with "Mineral Water. City Hotel" inscription. The reverse reads "Monument Square, Randall & Co Balt" with a small decorative flower. The token measures 22mm with a plain edge. Monument Square was the center of Baltimore civic life, anchored by Robert Mills' Washington Monument—the first major monument to George Washington in the United States. Barnum's City Hotel, one of the most famous hostelries in antebellum America, stood on the square and served as a social hub for Baltimore's elite. Randall & Co. operated their mineral water business from this prestigious location, selling bottled spring water and flavored carbonated beverages to hotel guests and square visitors. Mineral water was considered therapeutic in the 1830s, and dealers like Randall & Co. marketed their products as health beverages. The silver composition and small 22mm diameter suggest this token functioned as a specific redemption piece for mineral water rather than as a general-purpose cent substitute.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Silver, plain edge, 22mm. Distinctive Monument Square imagery.

Cross References

Rulau HT-147