B.W. Titus Advertising Token

B.W. Titus Advertising Token

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Description (Brief)
In the early 1860s Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut minted this Civil War store card coin for the B.W. Titus dry goods store of Trenton, New Jersey. During the Civil War many people hoarded coins resulting in a shortage that made buying and selling merchandise difficult. Some retailers responded to the problem by minting their own coins. Usually valued at one cent, these tokens helped their issuers continue to do business until the practice of privately minted coins was banned by the Coinage Act of 1864.
The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, medals, coins, and tokens.
Obverse: The legend reads: B. W. TITUS/ 20 E. STATE ST. TRENTON N.J.
Reverse: The legend reads: DRY GOODS/ OIL CLOTHS/ CARPETS & C.
Location
Currently not on view
Object Name
token
date made
ca 1860
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
place made
United States: Connecticut, Waterbury
Physical Description
brass (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 1.95 cm; 3/4 in
ID Number
1981.0296.1511
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1511
Credit Line
Scovill, Inc.
See more items in
Work and Industry: Production and Manufacturing
Advertising
Industry & Manufacturing
Scovill Manufacturing Collection
Data Source
National Museum of American History
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