(1870-80) Brass Token Rulau Pa-La 6A, L.K. Lancaster, PA

Coin Details

Description

Brass merchant or social club token bearing the initials L.K. from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, circa 1870-1880. Lancaster was a prosperous inland Pennsylvania city with a strong agricultural and manufacturing economy during the post-Civil War period. The L.K. initials refer to a merchant or organization whose full identity has not been conclusively established — eBay and auction records describe this as a German Social Club token. Lancaster County tokens from the Gilded Age are relatively uncommon compared to those from Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, making any Lancaster attribution of particular interest to Pennsylvania numismatists. Brass, 19mm. The decades following the Civil War witnessed both economic expansion and the emergence of organized coin collecting, as specialized dealers and auction houses established the numismatic marketplace. Well-preserved examples of this token type are sought after by both exonumia specialists and collectors of American historical ephemera.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Post-Civil War Lancaster, Pennsylvania merchant token. Rural Pennsylvania tokens from the 1870s-1880s are less common than Philadelphia issues. The unresolved L.K. attribution provides an opportunity for further research by Pennsylvania numismatic historians.

Cross References

Rulau Pa-La 6A; PCGS #811662