1860 Token Miller-NY-985 Brass RE Woodgate & Co. "Smoker" NY

Coin Details

Description

This 1860 brass token, cataloged as Miller NY-985, is another variety issued by Woodgate & Co. of New York, the same tobacco firm that produced the copper Miller NY-981 token. The different Miller catalog number and brass composition indicate this is a distinct die variety or intentional metal variant of the Woodgate & Co. series. Brass strikings of merchant tokens were typically produced in smaller quantities than copper versions and are therefore generally scarcer. The "Smoker" association with Woodgate & Co. places this firmly within the tobacco trade that was one of New York's most important commercial sectors during the mid-nineteenth century. Collecting multiple metal varieties of the same merchant's token is a fundamental aspect of Civil War token numismatics, and the copper-brass pairing of Woodgate pieces offers a compact variety set.

Rarity Notes

Brass, Miller NY-985. Woodgate & Co. brass variety, scarcer than the copper version.

Cross References

Miller NY-985; PCGS #843996; Woodgate & Co. "Smoker," New York, Brass