Hello, I really need help with this one. I found this coin about the size of a quarter, maybe a bit bigger. Its very hard to make out what it fully says on both sides. So keep in mind that I might have wrote what I thought to be the right letter/word but could be wrong. ' * ' Stands for: not sure what the letter is, also just because I put one ' * ' does not mean its for only 1 letter. Meaning there might be a group of letters I cant read and I'm not sure how many letters are there. Example: Correct Word ' Sporting ' but if cannot read it, I might put ' **rting ' Starting with the front of the coin, at the top, going around the rim it reads ' Amer*** ' then next to it reads: ' ***suitute ' (The ' U ' after the ' S ' might be a ' V ' Because I noticed what looks like a line under it) Still looking at the front of the coin...at the bottom it reads: ' NEW YORK ' Looking at the back of the coin, this is where it becomes hard to make sense. Starting from the top: '***** ' A GOLD ' *** ' AWARDED TO RAW ROBINSON FOR THE BEST MILITARY NAVAL SPORTING PLAINFLAT ( I'm not sure but on the coin it looks like there might be 1 letter in front of the ' P ' ) BUTTONS 1835 ( The second # is kind of worn, looks like it could be a 3 but I cant see this coin coming from 1335 ) Sorry if this all reads a little confusing. If there are any questions, please let me know. I tried searching online, but had no luck. My son and I were metal detecting and he was the one who found this piece and he is very interested in find out. The other things we found in the area of the coin, that might help you to figure it out, are: About 23 or so musket balls, 8 military buttons, 1830 5 cent piece and 1803 european piece. Also, these items were only found in a small square area about the size of half a football field. I tried searching outside of this area, in a grid pattern and found nothing....very strange! Again, sorry for writing so much. I want to thank you ahead of time for helping us out. Looking forward to hearing back. Jon
Since it is awarded personally to this man named "RAW ROBINSON" it is more of a medal than a coin. I cant seem to find any information about it though, I will keep looking for you! Rob
Sorry for double post everyone: I think there might be a number infront of "Plain Flat". Maybe this person wore a certain amount of buttons, and he was award a medal for his...button wearing. HAHA I am not sure the value of this coin, but it is pretty interesting.
Looks like { " *OPPE(R-unsure) A GOLD YORK" } Could be "COPPER" for the first word and I say YORK at the end because on the obverse it says, below the seated figure, NEW YORK and to me, the word looks four letters long and resembles a faded YORK word.
Looks like a Hard Times token to me. Made privately to pass as one cent when coins were in short supply. Not familar with the design, though.
JBK is correct, as this is a Hard Times Token. I believe the id number to be HT155, but there was a silvered copper version of this variety as well. Two additional varieties exist, the differences being slightly different locations for the letters/devices. This is a common token (if not silver plated) with an R1 rating and value in VG of $7 ($50 in VG for the silver plated). VG is the lowest grade listed in my reference. Obverse: American Institute/New York Reverse: Copy of a gold medal/awarded to/R & W Robinson,/for the best/military, naval,/sporting,/& plain flat/buttons/1836 (not 1835). If you are interested in some background relating to this token, read on. Robinson's Jones & Co. received the American Institute medal for their metallic buttons in the fall of 1833, and promptly issued these tokens (not the token you found, but ones pre dating it) to advertise their triumph. The dies were cut by Edward Hulseman at about the same time that he cut the dies for HT70, which was the first of the "I Take Responsibility" political tokens. Robinson's Jones & Co. traces its formation to Col. Obed Robinson, a blacksmith who made gunlocks during the Revolutionary War. He began making kitchen clocks after 1783, and in 1807 formed a partnership with David Brown to manufacture jewelry. In 1812, Obed and his son Otis Robinson produced U.S. Army buttons without button-maker backmarks, and this 1812 initiative launched the first Robinson button enterprise. Otis Robinson, Virgil Blackinton and a skilled British immigrant buttonmaker, Edward Price, later formed their own button firm, which lasted to 1820. Two other of Obed's sons, Richard and Willard, plus their brother-in-law Virgil Blackinton, began making glass buttons in Attleboro in 1813. Richard Robinson, the principal, turned to metal buttons for the Army Artillery in 1820 with his brother Willard, admitting William Henry Jones and Horace M. Draper as partners by 1826. Robinson's Jones & Co. was organized in 1828 in Attleboro, Mass. and reorganized as R. & W. Robinson in 1836. Robinson's Jones employed Edward Hulseman as an in-house engraver from 1833-1836, after which Hulseman moved to New York City. This premier button making firm is now credited with manufacturing the earliest large circulation Hard Times tokens, such as HT70, 25, 152, 153, and 428. The "New York" on the obverse dies pertains to the location of the American Institute, issuer of the medal of which your item is a reproduction. Willard Robinson was one of the partners. He married a girl of the H. M. & E. I. Richards family. The R. & W. Robinson firm was reorganized from the earlier Robinson's Jones & Co. firm in 1836. In 1848 they were succeeded in turn by D. Evans & Co. (Daniel Evans was the striker of the Rhode Island series of Civil War token mulings depicting hunting scenes). There is documentary evidence that shows that some of the 1836 Robinson cards were actually struck in 1839. Info from the "Standard Catalog of United States Tokens 1700-1900" by Russell Rulau.
It is a shame about the corrosion, as it looks to have been in pretty decent shape when "lost". For higher grades, that token lists for $80 in XF and $180 in Unc.
Hello, Wow...thanks everyone for taking the time to help figure this out. ALso thanks for such a detailed history about this piece. Its always nice to find something like this but even better to know the history. Its truly amazing...thanks so much. Jon
