(1886-92) Brass Token Rulau Nv-Hw 10, E. Van Alstine

Coin Details

Description

Brass merchant token issued by E. Van Alstine of Hawthorne, Nevada, circa 1886-1892. Van Alstine operated on Main Street in Hawthorne as a dealer in cigars, tobacco, pipes, and fresh fruit. The token was manufactured by the Brunswick Balke Collender Company and denominated at 12-1/2 cents, a standard fractional value for trade tokens of the era. Hawthorne was a small Nevada mining and railroad town in Mineral County, serving as a supply center for surrounding mining camps. Nevada merchant tokens from small towns are among the scarcest Western state attributions in the Rulau catalog, as Nevada's sparse population and transient mining economy produced few permanent merchant establishments. Brass, 22mm. Late 19th century tokens from this period circulated during an era of unprecedented commercial growth, as American cities expanded rapidly and businesses sought creative ways to build brand recognition.

Rarity Notes

Very rare. Small-town Nevada merchant token from a mining-era community. Nevada exonumia from the 1880s-1890s is among the scarcest of any Western state. Hawthorne tokens are actively sought by Nevada numismatists and Western Americana collectors.

Cross References

Rulau Nv-Hw; PCGS #914674