(1952) Copper Token HT-106, Restrike CT

Coin Details

Description

This copper piece is a 1952 restrike of the original Scovill Manufacturing Company Hard Times Token, produced using the original dies or reproduction dies at a time when interest in Hard Times Tokens was growing among numismatic collectors. The restrike documents the enduring fascination with these tokens more than a century after their original production, and the continued association of the Scovill name with the Waterbury, Connecticut brass manufacturing tradition. Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury was one of the most important American metalworking firms of the nineteenth century. Founded in 1802, the company produced brass buttons, daguerreotype plates, cartridge cases, and countless other metal products. Their original Hard Times Tokens (HT-104, HT-105, HT-107) were struck using the firm's own dies and presses — a natural extension of their button manufacturing operations. The 1952 restrike was produced during the mid-twentieth century revival of interest in American token coinage. Numismatic organizations and individual collectors commissioned restrikes of notable tokens to satisfy collector demand while making important designs more widely accessible. Restrikes are generally distinguishable from originals by subtle differences in metal quality, strike characteristics, and surface patina.

Rarity Notes

Common restrike. Later production, not an original Hard Times era issue.

Cross References

Rulau HT-106