(1859) Token Maryland Denarium Idler Copy, W-15690 Silver

Coin Details

Auction Record

$780 MS65 11-26-2024 Stack's Bowers

Description

This silver token cataloged as W-15690 is an Idler copy of the Maryland Denarium, struck in silver rather than the white metal more commonly associated with Harold Idler's colonial reproductions. Idler, working in Philadelphia during the 1850s, produced small quantities of copies across multiple metals, with silver strikings commanding higher prices and being produced in smaller numbers than base-metal versions. The Maryland Denarium original, part of Lord Baltimore's colonial coinage for the Province of Maryland authorized in the 1650s, remains one of the great rarities of colonial American numismatics. Idler's silver version reproduces the design elements of the colonial original with period-appropriate die-sinking techniques. The W-15690 catalog number distinguishes this silver variety from the white metal W-15675 version, confirming that each composition received its own catalog listing within the reference system. Silver Idler copies represent the premium tier of his production and are considerably scarcer than their white metal counterparts, making them doubly collectible as both colonial reproductions and as scarce examples of mid-nineteenth-century American die-sinking artistry.

Rarity Notes

Idler copy in silver, scarcer than the white metal version. Silver strikings by Idler were produced in very small quantities. Collected by both colonial and nineteenth-century token specialists.

Cross References

PCGS #891215; W-15690; Idler copy, silver