CANADA, Blacksmith tokens – Daniel & Benjamin True types. CU Token (27mm, 5.90 g, 12h). Uncertain mint in New York or Lower Canada. Struck circa 1835. N. STARBUCK & SON * TROY AIR FURNACE *, plow right; above and below, PLOUGHS,/ PLOUGH CASINGS, & SLEIGH/ SHOES/ MILL GEARING,/ POTASH KETTLES,/ & CAULDRONS / MACHINE SHOP TURNING & BORING, screw; around, SCREWS/ FOR PAPER/ OIL & CIDER/ MILLS &C/ * (small bust) *. Wood, Blacksmith –; Breton –; Charlton –; Rulau HT 368 note; cf. Wayne Baker Collection (Bowers & Merena, 26 March 1987), lot 1072 (hammer $907.50). Brown surfaces, diagnostic die break on obverse. VF. Extremely rare.
From the RH Collection, purchased Steve Hayden, March 2015.
This extremely rare token is distinguished by its thin, light weight flan, which weighs only 5.90 g, compared to the 10-11 g average of the regular New York strikes. Notably, the reverse die has not yet been recut, placing it in the sequence before Wood 29, suggesting that this could be the earliest in the series of Daniel & Benjamin True related blacksmiths. The Baker catalog notes, "This is a very special specimen for the Hard Times token collector, since it is believed to be unique on this type of planchet." RH notes that four specimens are currently known in the blacksmith collecting community.