United States (Nashville, TN): brass merchant token, Francisco & Whitman, Hatters; ca. 1852-1853

Discussion in 'US Coins Forum' started by lordmarcovan, Jul 7, 2020.

?

How interesting/appealing do you find this item, whether or not you're an expert? (1=worst, 10=best)

  1. 10

    1 vote(s)
    7.1%

  2. 9

    4 vote(s)
    28.6%

  3. 8

    4 vote(s)
    28.6%

  4. 7

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%

  5. 6

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%

  6. 5

    2 vote(s)
    14.3%

  7. 4

    1 vote(s)
    7.1%

  8. 3

    1 vote(s)
    7.1%

  9. 2

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%

  10. 1

    1 vote(s)
    7.1%
  1. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    United States (Nashville, TN): brass merchant token, Francisco & Whitman, Hatters; ca. 1852-1853
    HatToken-frame.png
    Obverse:     ★ PUBLIC SQUARE ★ NASHVILLE TENN.; stovepipe hat.
    Reverse: FRANCISCO & WHITMAN / HATTERS; eagle with Union shield, wings spread, clutching an olive branch and three arrows in its talons.
    Issuer: Francisco & Whitman, hatters, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
    Specifications: Brass, 23 mm, plain edge.
    Grade: PCGS MS65; cert. #35858718.
    Reference: Miller-53A Brass.
    Provenance: ex-"classickidcoins_0", eBay, 4 June 2020. Prior provenance to Heritage Auction #131924, Lot #26158 (sold for $312.00), 12 June 2019.*
    Notes: This is an interesting and especially pristine merchant token from the antebellum South, which has survived over 160 years in Gem Mint State, with few marks and surprisingly little toning of the brass. Many tokens of this era featured eagles similar to the ones on the gold coins then in circulation.
    Comments: I was drawn to this token by its Gem grade, not to mention the eagle, the top hat, and the fact that it's an early Southern piece. (Or at least the merchants were Southern; I suspect the token itself was struck by the Scovill Manufacturing Company in Waterbury, Connecticut.)

    HatToken-frame.png

    HatToken-black.png

    HatToken-gradient.png

    HatToken-white.png

    HatToken-alt.jpg

    HatToken-obv.jpg

    HatToken-rev.jpg

    HatToken-slab.png

    028355S
     
    Last edited: Mar 1, 2021
    lordmarcovan, Jul 7, 2020
    #1 + Quote Reply
    Bradley Trotter, Penna_Boy, longnine009 and 1 other person like this.
  2. Avatar

    Guest User Guest



    to hide this ad.
  3. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    Market Street in Nashville, 1850; in the decade this token would have been in circulation.
    Nashville 1850 (Market Street).jpg
     
    Last edited: Mar 1, 2021
    lordmarcovan, Jul 7, 2020
    #2 + Quote Reply
    Bradley Trotter and Penna_Boy like this.
  4. Bradley Trotter

    Bradley Trotter Well-Known Member

    That is quite an interesting token. If I'm not mistaken based on the address I found, it sounds like this business was in the vicinity of where the Davidson County Courthouse now stands in downtown Nashville. Nowadays Public Square Park is a large urban park complete with a large reflection pool and observation towers.

    6D062A5D-4158-4997-B12E-43C17E8621C9.jpeg


    https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1852-francisco-whitman-hatters-1832204529
     
    Last edited: Jul 7, 2020
    Bradley Trotter, Jul 7, 2020
    #3 + Quote Reply
    lordmarcovan likes this.
  5. Collecting Nut

    Collecting Nut Borderline Hoarder

    A very interesting and clean token.
     
    Collecting Nut, Jul 7, 2020
    #4 + Quote Reply
    lordmarcovan likes this.
  6. CoinCorgi

    CoinCorgi Tell your dog I said hi!

    1: exonumia has no appeal in any form
     
    CoinCorgi, Jul 7, 2020
    #5 + Quote Reply
  7. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    LOL

    Neither do peanut-butter-filled cow hooves, but I betcha corgis like those, huh? ;)

    41DKTsFx+pL._AC_SY400_.jpg

    Lemme tell ya, there is nothing quite so delightful as stepping on a gnawed cow hoof with your bare foot in the middle of the night on your way to the bathroom. I might just be speaking from experience there...
     
    lordmarcovan, Jul 7, 2020
    #6 + Quote Reply
    CoinCorgi likes this.
  8. CoinCorgi

    CoinCorgi Tell your dog I said hi!

    LOL. My Corgis just throw up after getting treats like these. They'll eat anything, throw it up, and try it again. Dogs are disgusting.
     
    CoinCorgi, Jul 7, 2020
    #7 + Quote Reply
  9. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    Stuff tastes better after someone has already tried to eat it and then coughed it back up. Any dog will tell you that.
     
    lordmarcovan, Jul 7, 2020
    #8 + Quote Reply
    CoinCorgi likes this.
  10. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    @Bradley Trotter- thanks. Yeah, I spent a few minutes on Google Maps trying to piece that together, and also to place that 1850 photograph I posted above, to see if it was taken on the same public square. I didn't figure that out, but I did learn that Market Street (the stated location of the 1850 photograph above) is now 2nd Avenue, so if that wasn't the Public Square, it must have been close.
     
    lordmarcovan, Jul 7, 2020
    #9 + Quote Reply
    Bradley Trotter likes this.
  11. GeorgeM

    GeorgeM Well-Known Member

    That attitude is why some extremely rare & eye-pleasing exonumia is available for a fraction of the cost of younger, more common, and just plain ugly coins. Oh, well. Different strokes for different folks.
     
    GeorgeM, Jul 8, 2020
    #10 + Quote Reply
    lordmarcovan likes this.
  12. CoinCorgi

    CoinCorgi Tell your dog I said hi!

    All yours!
     
    CoinCorgi, Jul 8, 2020
    #11 + Quote Reply
  13. GeorgeM

    GeorgeM Well-Known Member

    Well, lordmarcovan seems to have beat me to this particular piece.

    But I'm certainly picking up a few others. "Junk bins" can be quite profitable if you key into the strange & rare. In my experience, it's often the story around a coin, token, or medal that gives it value.
     
    GeorgeM, Jul 8, 2020
    #12 + Quote Reply
    lordmarcovan and CoinCorgi like this.
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page