GERMAN STATES: AR token (4.73g), 1817, Schulten-501b, 26mm silver bread token from Elberfeld, ELBER / FELDER / KORN / VEREIN within inner circle with "KAUFT IN DER ZEIT 1816" around // I / BROD within inner circle with "SO HABT IHR IN DER NOTH 1817" around, nicely toned, reeded edge, EF to About Unc, ex Arlie Slabaugh Collection. Künker states that after the bad harvest of 1816, far-sighted merchants in Elberfeld (an independent city until Wuppertal was formed in 1929) undertook a campaign to make bread cheaper, which even generated a surplus that formed the fund for a hospital. A copper (bronze) stamp was issued for control purposes, silver strikes were made for the honorary distributors and 18 gold strikes for the donors.
Estimate: 150-200 USD