(1876) White Metal Token NY-NY 710, Dean Cakes

Coin Details

Auction Record

$40 MS61 04-12-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

Struck in white metal for the 1876 Centennial International Exposition, this token (NY-NY 710) was commissioned by Dean Cakes, confectionery and bakery of New York City. Dean's Cakes was a popular NYC confectionery that issued six Centennial token varieties. As a confectionery Dean likely distributed tokens as premiums with candy. Six-variety series suggests significant marketing opportunity. White metal, the composition in which the greatest number of Centennial tokens were produced and survive today. Merchants could afford to distribute white metal tokens liberally because the per-piece cost was negligible compared to the potential advertising return. Dies for this merchant token were produced at the Lingg workshop on North 8th Street, which served as the central production facility for Centennial advertising pieces. Philadelphia's 1876 Centennial was the nation's inaugural World's Fair, conceived as both a patriotic celebration of independence and a demonstration of American industrial capability.

Rarity Notes

NY-NY 710 in white metal is a collectible Centennial merchant token. Dean's Cakes was a popular NYC confectionery that issued six Centennial token varieties. Most examples survive in VF to EF condition.

Cross References

NY-NY 710; PCGS #903132