(c.1869) Copper Token Rulau Pa-Ph 50, Dickeson's Coin & Medal Safe

Coin Details

Auction Record

$312 UNC Details 09-02-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

Copper advertising token for Dickeson's Coin & Medal Safe, Philadelphia, circa 1869. Dr. Montroville Wilson Dickeson (1810-1882) was a Philadelphia physician, archaeologist, and numismatist who produced and marketed a specialized safe for storing coin and medal collections. The Coin & Medal Safe was an early example of purpose-built numismatic storage furniture, reflecting the growing sophistication of American coin collecting in the post-Civil War era. Dickeson's dual career as an archaeologist (famous for his Mississippi Valley mound excavations) and numismatic entrepreneur makes him one of the most colorful figures in Philadelphia numismatic history. Copper, 28mm. The late 1860s and 1870s saw merchant tokens issued in an economy transitioning from wartime disruption to peacetime growth, with centennial consciousness increasingly shaping commemorative designs. Early American tokens have attracted growing collector attention as their value as primary historical documents becomes more widely recognized.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Advertising token for one of the earliest purpose-built numismatic storage products. Dickeson's tokens are collected by both Philadelphia numismatists and historians of American collecting culture. The 'Coin & Medal Safe' concept documents the professionalization of American numismatics in the Reconstruction era.

Cross References

Rulau Pa-Ph 50; PCGS #777139