View All Philadelphia Centennial Tokens (1876)

(1876) Brass Token Pa-Ph 256, Muled w/ Pa Ph 226 Obv

Strike Type

Coin Details

Year

1876

Denomination

Tokens

Strike Type

Regular Strike

Series

Rulau Tokens (1700-1900)

Composition

Brass

Weight

3.1g

Diameter

19mm

Value Estimates

Up to $307

Estimates reflect typical grades (G-4 through MS-63). Coins in lower or exceptional grades may fall outside this range.

Auction Record

$307 MS64 06-03-2024 eBay

Description

A brass mule token (Pa-Ph 256), this piece was created by pairing the die and the die . Produced at the Lingg & Bro. shop at 36 North 8th Street in Philadelphia, mule tokens were created as special collector pieces by combining dies from unrelated token series. Die mules occupy a specialized niche within the Centennial series, prized by collectors for their unusual die combinations and relative scarcity. The brass composition gave this token an attractive golden appearance, distinguishing it from the more commonly encountered white metal and copper versions of this merchant's series. Businesses along the routes between downtown Philadelphia and Fairmount Park saw extraordinary traffic during the Centennial months, as millions of visitors passed through on their way to the Exposition. Token varieties ranged from inexpensive white metal pieces distributed freely to visitors, through mid-range copper and brass issues, to rare silver presentation pieces for collectors.

Rarity Notes

As a die mule, Pa-Ph 256 in brass is inherently scarcer than standard single-issuer tokens. These cross-die combinations were created as collector novelties by Lingg & Bro.