1860 Token Miller-NY-981 Copper RE Woodgate & Co. "Smoker" NY

Coin Details

Description

This 1860 copper token, cataloged as Miller NY-981, was issued by Woodgate & Co. of New York, bearing the playful epithet "Smoker." The Woodgate & Co. firm was a tobacconist or cigar dealer, and the "Smoker" designation refers either to the establishment's identity as a smoking lounge or to a brand name used by the company. The Miller NY-981 catalog number places this within the extensive New York merchant token series. Tobacco merchants were enthusiastic issuers of tokens during the Civil War era, using them as advertising pieces, loyalty rewards, and small change substitutes. The copper composition was standard for commercially distributed tokens. New York City's tobacco trade was a major industry during the mid-nineteenth century, with hundreds of importers, retailers, and manufacturers operating in lower Manhattan.

Rarity Notes

Copper, Miller NY-981. Woodgate & Co. tobacco merchant token. Tobacco-themed tokens are widely collected.

Cross References

Miller NY-981; PCGS #521398; Woodgate & Co. "Smoker," New York, Copper