(c.1880) Brass Token Rulau Pa-Ph 410, Wanamaker & Brown

Coin Details

Description

Brass advertising token for Wanamaker & Brown of Philadelphia, circa 1880. Wanamaker & Brown was the men's clothing firm co-founded by John Wanamaker and Nathan Brown in 1861. The partnership was Wanamaker's first major retail venture before he established his famous department store in 1876. By 1880, Wanamaker & Brown had become one of the largest clothing retailers in America, operating the massive Oak Hall store at Sixth and Market Streets in Philadelphia. The firm pioneered one-price fixed pricing and guaranteed quality in men's clothing. Brass, 25mm. The post-war period combined rapid commercial growth with the professionalization of numismatics, as collecting societies and printed catalogs transformed casual accumulation into systematic study. Philadelphia tokens benefit from the city's role as the nation's first capital and its long tradition of metalworking, from the U.S. Mint to private die sinkers like Robert Lovett Jr.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Advertising token from John Wanamaker's original clothing firm. Wanamaker & Brown predated the Wanamaker department store and represents the earliest phase of Wanamaker's retail career. Collected by Philadelphia numismatists and American retail history enthusiasts.

Cross References

Rulau Pa-Ph 410; PCGS #850210