(1877) Brass Token Rulau NY-NY 395, Isaac F. Wood

Coin Details

Description

Brass token by Isaac F. Wood of New York City, 1877. Wood was one of the most prolific and inventive American die sinkers and token makers of the Gilded Age. He produced a vast series of small brass tokens featuring portraits of presidents, famous Americans, buildings, and other subjects, typically struck on tiny planchets. Wood's tokens are among the most collected American exonumia series due to their variety, historical interest, and the challenge of assembling a complete set. His workshop produced hundreds of die varieties between the 1870s and 1890s. Brass, 19mm. America's post-Civil War economic boom coincided with the maturation of numismatic collecting as a formal discipline, creating new appreciation for historical merchant tokens. Manhattan's dense commercial district produced more merchant tokens than any other American city, and New York pieces form the backbone of most serious Rulau collections.

Rarity Notes

Common for the Isaac F. Wood series overall, though individual die varieties range from common to very rare. Wood's tokens are among the most widely collected American exonumia, with a devoted following of specialists who catalog the many die varieties. The brass composition is standard for Wood's small-format tokens.

Cross References

Rulau NY-NY 395; PCGS #683565