(1848-54) Token Miller Mich-10 Brass Foster & Parry

Coin Details

Auction Record

$192 MS65 04-03-2024 Stack's Bowers

Description

Foster & Parry were dealers in stoves, iron, and hardware in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Their brass token (Miller Mich-10) features a cookstove and padlock design, directly advertising the firm's hardware products. An example of this token is in the Yale University Art Gallery. Foster & Parry's token also appears as part of a mule with the Haviland Stevenson South Carolina die (Miller SC-3), demonstrating the practice of die sharing among token manufacturers who produced pieces for merchants in distant states. Grand Rapids was emerging as a significant manufacturing center in western Michigan during this period. The brass alloy provided this token with a golden luster that differentiated it from common copper cents. Brass tokens were perceived as slightly more valuable than copper issues, making them more likely to be retained by recipients. Cataloged as Miller Mich-10. The dies for merchant tokens were typically cut by professional engravers, though some frontier examples show more primitive workmanship.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more commonly encountered metal variants for merchant tokens.

Cross References

Miller Mich-10