1852 Token Miller NY-400 Brass Professor Johnson

Coin Details

Description

Professor Johnson was a manufacturer and seller of cleaning products at 317 Bowery in New York City. His products included soap, starch polish, fountain blacking, and French blueing — household cleaning essentials in the mid-nineteenth century. The honorific "Professor" was commonly adopted by manufacturers and merchants to lend an air of scientific authority to their products. Johnson's multiple token varieties (Miller NY-399 through NY-401) in brass and copper advertised his cleaning products business during a period when the Bowery was a bustling commercial thoroughfare in lower Manhattan. The brass composition gave this token an attractive golden hue that distinguished it from copper coinage. Brass planchets were slightly more expensive than copper but produced a more visually striking advertising piece. Professor Johnson issued 3 known token varieties. Cataloged as Miller NY-400. Authentication of merchant store cards relies on die characteristics, metal analysis, and provenance, as counterfeits of the rarest varieties exist.

Rarity Notes

Brass strikings are among the more commonly encountered metal variants for merchant tokens. Professor Johnson issued 3 known token varieties.

Cross References

Miller NY-400