(c.1850) Token Miller NY-145 Copper The Havana Express

Coin Details

Description

The Havana Express provided shipping and express delivery services between New York and Cuba during the 1850s, when Cuba was Spain's most valuable colonial possession and a major trading partner with the United States. The token (Miller NY-145) reflects the extensive maritime commerce between New York Harbor and Caribbean ports, which included sugar, tobacco, and manufactured goods. The copper planchet gave this token an appearance closely resembling contemporary United States cents, facilitating its acceptance in daily commerce. Copper merchant tokens of this type circulated widely as advertising pieces and emergency small change. Cataloged as Miller NY-145 in the standard reference for American merchant tokens. Pre-Civil War merchant tokens circulated during a period of chronic small change shortages, when copper tokens filled an essential gap in the American monetary system. The dies for merchant tokens were typically cut by professional engravers, though some frontier examples show more primitive workmanship.

Rarity Notes

Copper striking, the standard metal for merchant tokens of this period. Miller NY-145.

Cross References

Miller NY-145