(1860s) Token Brasher Doubloon Copper Robinson Copy

Coin Details

Description

Produced by Robinson during the 1860s — a period when American numismatics was rapidly emerging as an organized collecting pursuit — this copper reproduction of the Brasher Doubloon reflects the mid-19th century fascination with early American rarities that were already recognized as virtually unobtainable originals. By the Civil War era, the handful of known Brasher Doubloons had achieved legendary status among collectors, and entrepreneurial engravers like Robinson produced copper copies to satisfy demand from collectors who wanted representative examples for their cabinets. The copy replicates the Doubloon's iconic design: the sunrise over a mountain and sea on the obverse with a heraldic eagle on the reverse, along with Brasher's "EB" hallmark. Unlisted in Whitman, this piece belongs to the Post-1776 States Coinage (1776-1788) series by association with its prototype. The copper composition immediately distinguishes it from the gold originals, and the piece was never intended to deceive — Robinson copies were sold openly to collectors as reproductions during the numismatic boom of the 1860s, when coin collecting societies were being founded, the first major auction catalogs were appearing, and awareness of American numismatic heritage was growing rapidly. Scarce as a collector copy from the 1860s, these Robinson reproductions have themselves become collectible artifacts documenting the early history of American numismatic scholarship and the market for replicas of coins too rare and valuable for most collectors to acquire in original form.

Rarity Notes

Scarce collector copy from the 1860s.

Cross References

Whitman unlisted