(1876) White Metal Token Pa-Ph 965, Hughes House

Coin Details

Auction Record

$60 AU55 04-12-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

This white metal Centennial token (Pa-Ph 965) was issued by Hughes House, a hotel or boarding house of Philadelphia. A Philadelphia lodging establishment near the Centennial grounds, with four varieties. Philadelphia hotels were chronically overcrowded by the ten million Exposition visitors. Hotels near exposition were chronically overcrowded. Pa-Ph 960-965 represents significant advertising investment. Merchants on tighter budgets gravitated to white metal for its combination of acceptable appearance and significantly lower per-unit cost compared to copper or brass alternatives. Manufactured by Lingg & Bro. of Philadelphia, the firm that produced more Centennial merchant advertising tokens than all other manufacturers combined. Merchants who issued Centennial tokens gained a portable advertising medium that visitors would carry home to cities across the nation, extending the token's promotional reach far beyond Philadelphia.

Rarity Notes

Pa-Ph 965 in white metal is a collectible Centennial merchant token. A Philadelphia lodging establishment near the Centennial grounds, with four varieties. Philadelphia hotels were chronically overcrowded by the ten million Exposition visitors. Most examples survive in VF to EF condition.

Cross References

Pa-Ph 965; PCGS #908449