(1858) Token Miller-NY-495F Copper RE Boy and Dog NY

Coin Details

Description

This copper token from circa 1858 is cataloged as Miller NY-495F and features a charming reverse design depicting a boy and dog, a popular motif in mid-nineteenth century American numismatic art. The Miller catalog attribution to New York places this within the extensive corpus of tokens produced by the city's die sinkers, who created pieces for merchants, collectors, and the general public. The "F" suffix in the Miller number indicates a die state or variety within the NY-495 series, suggesting multiple versions were struck from progressively worn or modified dies. The boy and dog design was a favorite subject of several New York die sinkers, appearing on tokens, store cards, and mulings throughout the 1850s and 1860s. The sentimental genre scene appealed to Victorian sensibilities and provided an attractive, non-political reverse that could be paired with various merchant advertising obverses. Copper was the standard metal for die sinker's sample pieces and collector tokens of this period, with brass, white metal, and occasionally silver or german silver used for variant strikings. The RE (reverse) designation in the title indicates this piece is cataloged by its reverse die, suggesting the boy and dog design was used in multiple die combinations with different obverse dies.

Rarity Notes

Miller NY-495F is scarce. The boy and dog reverse is a popular collecting theme within the Miller token series, and examples in copper tend to command premium prices.

Cross References

PCGS #528353; Miller NY-495F; New York die sinker token series