(c.1850) Brass Token Rulau NY-NY 508, E. Lyon

Coin Details

Description

Brass advertising token issued by E. Lyon of New York City, circa 1850. Emanuel Lyon operated at 424 Broadway, manufacturing and selling Lyon's Magnetic Powder & Pills, a pest-control product for insects and rats. The obverse features a Liberty head facing left with E. LYON 424 BROADWAY. The reverse depicts an eagle with shield, holding arrows in one talon and a branch in the other, with the legend MAGNETIC POWDER & PILLS / FOR INSECTS & RATS. The token was manufactured by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut, established in 1802 as a button manufacturer. Also cataloged as Miller NY-510. An example is held in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. Brass, 28mm. The 1840s and 1850s saw merchant tokens evolve from simple trade pieces to more elaborate designs, as die sinkers like George H. Lovett and Robert Lovett Jr. elevated the craft. This piece is part of the diverse Rulau Miscellaneous series encompassing tokens that fall outside the major thematic categories.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Pre-Civil War New York advertising token for E. Lyon's pest-control products. Also cataloged as Miller NY-510. An example is in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. Collected by New York City exonumia specialists and advertising token enthusiasts.

Cross References

Rulau NY-NY; PCGS #913371