1868 Shield Nickel - Brunk T-190 C. Thomas
Strike TypeCoin Details
Value Estimates
Values as of May 2026 — estimates reflect typical grades (G-4 through MS-63). Coins in lower or exceptional grades may fall outside this range.
Description
This 1868 Shield Nickel bears a merchant counterstamp attributed to C. Thomas, cataloged as Brunk T-190. Counterstamps were applied to circulating coins by merchants, silversmiths, and tradesmen as a form of portable advertising — the business card of early America. The C. Thomas stamp identifies a business operating in Thomas, one of many merchants who used coin counterstamping to advertise their trade. The host coin is a 1868 nickel from the Shield Nickels 1866-1883 series. The host coin's original mintage was 398,000, though counterstamped examples represent only a tiny fraction of survivors. Struck in 75% copper, 25% nickel, 23.5 mm in diameter. Cataloged as PCGS #919166. Counterstamped coins documented in Gregory G. Brunk's "American and Canadian Countermarked Coins" sit at the intersection of numismatics and Americana — each piece is a primary-source historical document of early American commerce. The counterstamp adds a unique layer of provenance that distinguishes this coin from all other examples of its type.
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