(1876) White Metal Token Pa-Ph 982, G. Kilbride

Coin Details

Auction Record

$144 MS62 04-12-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

G. Kilbride issued this white metal souvenir token (Pa-Ph 982) as advertising during the 1876 Centennial. An Irish-American Philadelphia merchant with three varieties near the end of the Philadelphia white-metal series (Pa-Ph 980-982). Irish-American community well-represented among issuers. 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. The standard reference for Centennial tokens uses the Rulau catalog, where tokens from different cities receive distinct prefixes (Pa-Ph, NY-NY, etc.) and each die/metal combination gets its own entry.

Rarity Notes

Pa-Ph 982 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 982; PCGS #903160