(1874-85) Token Curto-66 Brass G.W. Felt OK Trade

Coin Details

Auction Record

$480 MS63 08-25-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

This brass trade token from circa 1874-85 is cataloged as Curto-66 and was issued by G.W. Felt of Oklahoma Territory. The Curto catalog, compiled by James Curto, is the standard reference for Oklahoma territorial and Indian Territory trade tokens. G.W. Felt operated a trading establishment in what was then Indian Territory, before Oklahoma achieved statehood in 1907. Trade tokens were essential in frontier communities where federal coinage was scarce and credit relationships between merchants and customers needed a physical medium of exchange. Oklahoma Territory trade tokens document the commercial life of one of America's last frontiers. Trading posts in Indian Territory served both Native American and settler populations, functioning as general stores, supply depots, and community gathering places. G.W. Felt's brass token would have been used as store credit — customers received tokens as change or in exchange for goods and services, and the tokens could be redeemed only at Felt's establishment. The Curto-66 designation places this piece within the comprehensive catalog of Oklahoma trade tokens, a specialized collecting field that intersects with Western Americana, Native American history, and territorial numismatics.

Rarity Notes

Curto-66 is scarce. Oklahoma Territory trade tokens are avidly collected by specialists in Western and territorial numismatics, and examples from the 1870s-1880s pre-statehood period are especially valued.

Cross References

PCGS #810980; Curto-66; G.W. Felt, Oklahoma Territory; Indian Territory trade token