(1876) White Metal Token Pa-Ph 788, John E. Vallee

Coin Details

Description

Struck in white metal for the 1876 Centennial International Exposition, this token (Pa-Ph 788) was commissioned by John E. Vallee, confectioner and baker of Philadelphia. A Philadelphia confectioner who issued seven Centennial token varieties, placing him among the most prolific individual issuers. Multiple die combinations reflect the flexibility of Lingg production system. White metal variants are most commonly encountered as mass-distributed advertising. White metal formed the foundation of the Centennial token market, with copper, brass, and bronze pieces commanding progressively higher values both at issuance and in the modern collector market. Struck from dies by the Lingg firm, whose central Philadelphia location gave them direct access to the merchants seeking Centennial advertising pieces. Centennial token collectors use the Rulau catalog numbering system, which identifies each token by geographic origin and assigns separate entries for different metal compositions of the same die pair.

Rarity Notes

Pa-Ph 788 in white metal is encountered with moderate frequency in the Centennial token market. Condition census runs from well-worn to occasional choice examples.

Cross References

Pa-Ph 788; PCGS #669774