(c.1898-99) Token Benice-(2010)4a Copper W.A. & H. Dyea AK Trade

Coin Details

Description

This copper trade token, cataloged as Benice-(2010)4a, was issued by W.A. & H. of Dyea, Alaska Territory, during the height of the Klondike Gold Rush in 1898-1899. Dyea was one of two gateway towns at the head of Lynn Canal in southeastern Alaska, serving as the starting point of the Chilkoot Trail to the Yukon goldfields. At its peak in 1898, Dyea had a population of several thousand fortune seekers, merchants, and service providers, but the town was abandoned almost entirely after the rival town of Skagway and its White Pass route proved more practical for heavy freight. Trade tokens from Dyea are particularly scarce because the town's existence was so brief — by 1903 it was essentially a ghost town. This token documents the commercial activity of one of the most ephemeral boomtowns of the Gold Rush era.

Rarity Notes

Copper trade token, Benice-(2010)4a. Dyea, Alaska tokens are very scarce due to the town's brief existence during the Klondike Gold Rush.

Cross References

PCGS #816110; Benice-(2010)4a; W.A. & H., Dyea, Alaska Territory