(No Date) Brass Token HT-580A, RE Chamberlain-Hotchkiss

Coin Details

Description

This undated brass token with reeded edge bears the name Chamberlain-Hotchkiss, representing a partnership or business succession. The token's characteristics—brass composition, reeded edge, and commercial attribution—place it within the Hard Times merchant token tradition, though the undated format prevents precise chronological placement. The Chamberlain and Hotchkiss names appear in various commercial directories of the northeastern United States during the 1830s and 1840s. Without a confirmed city attribution, the token's geographical origin remains undocumented, but the partnership name structure and brass composition are consistent with New England or New York commercial practices of the period. Undated Hard Times tokens present particular challenges for catalogers and collectors. Without a date, the piece must be attributed to the Hard Times era based on style, composition, size, and manufacturing characteristics that distinguish it from earlier and later American tokens. The Rulau catalog's inclusion of this piece indicates that its physical characteristics and provenance support a Hard Times era attribution.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Undated brass token with reeded edge. Chamberlain-Hotchkiss attribution.

Cross References

Rulau HT-580A