(1840) Token HT-205X, Lakewood Brockage NJ

Coin Details

Description

This 1840 Bergen Iron Works brockage error from Lakewood, New Jersey is a striking error in which one side of the token received a mirror-image impression from a previously struck token rather than from the intended die. Brockage errors occur when a struck token fails to eject from the press and remains adhered to one die, so that the next blank is struck between the normal die on one side and the stuck token on the other — producing a reversed, incuse impression. The brockage error provides direct evidence of the production process at whatever facility struck the Bergen Iron Works tokens. The error indicates that token striking was performed on a manually operated screw press without automatic ejection, and that the press operator occasionally failed to clear the previously struck piece before feeding the next blank. Such errors are uncommon but not rare in privately struck tokens, which generally received less quality control attention than official government coinage. Brockage errors from the Hard Times Token series are prized by collectors as production artifacts that illuminate the striking methods and working conditions of antebellum token manufacturers. The Bergen Iron Works brockage is an especially interesting example, combining a manufacturing error with the historical significance of the Pine Barrens bog iron industry.

Rarity Notes

Rare. Brockage striking error. Rarity R-5 to R-6.

Cross References

Rulau HT-205X