United States · private exonumia

1841 Hard Times token — HT-16 / Low-58

Political token of 1841: the ship CONSTITUTION and MILLIONS FOR DEFENCE / NOT ONE CENT FOR TRIBUTE. The design is catalogued as HT-16 (Low-58), plain-edge copper. This example has no edge photograph, so reeded HT-16A is not assigned. No face value, no serial, and unslabbed. Weight, diameter, and metal of this piece were not measured.

Catalog facts

Year: 1841
Mint: Private striking. The Smithsonian attributes its example of the type to Scovill of Waterbury; this planchet shows no signature
Denomination: Political token on the large-cent module (no face value on the piece)
Composition: Copper (published metal of type HT-16; this specimen was not assayed)
Weight: 10.2 g (Numista type weight; this specimen was not weighed)
Diameter: ≈ 28 mm (Numista); the Smithsonian example measures about 28.6 mm. This specimen was not measured
Edge: Plain on ordinary HT-16. The edge is not photographed, so reeded HT-16A is not assigned
Condition: Unslabbed. Rigging, legends, stars, and denticles are legible in the photographs. Not a numerical grade.
References: HT-16 · Low-58 · DeWitt CE-1838-8 · Wright 11-280a · R-1 · Numista N#121196 · PCGS 77215

Obverse: ship CONSTITUTION; WEBSTER CREDIT 1841 CURRENT.

Reverse: MILLIONS FOR DEFENCE; NOT ONE CENT FOR TRIBUTE.

The coin

This piece is an 1841 political Hard Times token, large-cent module, struck privately. It is not a United States Mint cent and it carries no face value. The obverse is a three-masted ship under way, labeled CONSTITUTION. The arc reads WEBSTER above, CREDIT at left, CURRENT at right, and 1841 below, with stars between the segments. A denticled border. The reverse reads MILLIONS FOR DEFENCE on the arc and, at center, NOT / ONE CENT / FOR / TRIBUTE, among stars, two leaves, and a wavy line. The published type is copper, about 28 mm, plain edge: that is HT-16. The reeded edge is HT-16A, a different number. The photographs do not show the edge. The surface looks gray; it was not assayed, and no BN, RB, or RD color is assigned. Fisher notes that the obverse shares a die with Low-60, in a slightly later state. This example’s reverse is the NOT ONE CENT motto, not the wrecked Experiment of that other pairing. No serial and no holder.

Legends

Obverse: WEBSTER · CREDIT · 1841 · CURRENT. The ship is labeled CONSTITUTION.
Reverse: MILLIONS FOR DEFENCE on the arc · NOT / ONE CENT / FOR / TRIBUTE at center.

History

Daniel Webster, a Whig senator, argued for credit and a national bank against Jacksonian hard money. The 1841 token joins his name, CREDIT CURRENT, and the ship Constitution, the ship of state in good order. The reverse adapts the XYZ Affair motto (1797–1798): millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute. On a large-cent module, NOT ONE CENT avoids stamping ONE CENT. Low numbered it 58; Rulau, HT-16; DeWitt, CE-1838-8 — the 1838 does not change the 1841 date — and Numista gives Wright 11-280a and N#121196. That 58 is Lyman H. Low’s variety number, not a serial: the planchet carries no serial number, and neighboring Low numbers are other varieties, not a range printed on this piece. Fisher describes it as copper, 28 mm, plain edge, R-1. PCGS number 77215 is the BN listing of that copper; the RB listing is 77855. Both show mintage as N/A, and no quantity struck is published here. The Smithsonian records its example of the type (1981.0296.0788) as copper of about 28.6 mm, made by Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut. That fact belongs to the museum object, not to a mark read on this planchet. R-1 is a type rarity of the plain edge, not a census of this example. No provenance is recorded here.

Scarcity and type

R-1 (Fisher, plain-edge HT-16): a type rarity, not a mintage. PCGS publishes the mintage as N/A. The gray look of the photographs does not prove silver: type HT-16 is catalogued as copper, and no planchet-color designation is assigned here. Reeded HT-16A is left out because the edge is not photographed. No prices or slab census are republished.

Certification

No holder and no numerical grade. The photographs show the rigging, legends, stars, and denticles. They do not replace weight, diameter, edge, or an authenticity opinion. Type attribution is not a certificate for this example. No serial.