(c.1850) Token Miller NY-383 Brass Jennings Wheeler & Co.

Coin Details

Auction Record

$90 MS64 09-02-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

Jennings Wheeler & Co. were dry goods merchants in New York City, part of the massive textile and clothing trade that dominated the city's commercial economy. Multiple token varieties (Miller NY-380 and NY-383) in brass and gilt bronze indicate active token distribution. The dry goods trade was the largest sector of American retail commerce in the antebellum period, and New York served as the national distribution center. Brass was a favored alternative to copper for merchant tokens, offering a warm golden tone that attracted attention. This brass striking would have stood out immediately in a handful of copper cents. Jennings Wheeler & Co. issued 3 known token varieties. Cataloged as Miller NY-383. 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

Brass strikings are among the more commonly encountered metal variants for merchant tokens. Jennings Wheeler & Co. issued 3 known token varieties.

Cross References

Miller NY-383